Football365

According to reports, Spurs have ‘two’ top targets in mind as potential replacements for Igor Tudor, while a ‘dark horse’ is in the frame.

The north London outfit are in a dire situation as they are without a Premier League win in 2026 and sit only one point clear of the relegation zone.

West Ham piled pressure on Spurs by beating Fulham on Wednesday night, but Tudor‘s side failed to respond on Thursday as they were deservedly beaten 3-1 at home by Crystal Palace.

Spurs hit the self-destruct button after taking the lead through Dominic Solanke. In the space of seven minutes before the interval, Micky van de Ven got sent off and Palace scored three goals to turn the game on its head.

The game was done at this point and the mood inside The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium turned toxic as Spurs’ relegation fears increased.

READ: Spurs doomed for relegation under Tudor as worst self-destruction yet sparks ineffective ‘headloss’

This was only Tudor’s third game in charge since replacing Thomas Frank and is yet to inspire an upturn in form/performances, with it already being suggested that his job is at risk.

Tudor has only penned a contract until the summer, and it’s currently hard to see him lasting beyond the end of this season.

A report from GiveMeSport claims Mauricio Pochettino and Roberto De Zerbi are currently the ‘two main candidates’ to replace Tudor, though club legend Robbie Keane is a ‘dark horse’.

As per the report, Keane is especially ‘one to watch’ if Spurs suffer relegation, with competition from elsewhere and a reduced budget to limit their chances of landing Pochettino and De Zerbi if they go down.

If Spurs do land Keane, he could link up with fellow club legend Glenn Hoddle, who has expressed his interest in returning to Spurs.

When asked whether he would be open to returning to Spurs during an appearance on the It Could be Magic podcast, Hoddle said: “I think it would actually. Particularly with Tottenham, as that’s my club.

“I’ve supported them since I was eight years of age. So they were a massive part of my life.”

Hoddle also insisted that he could be lured back if he was offered a supporting role under Keane.

“Robbie’s doing great as a young manager. So to have a steady springboard and someone experienced like myself that would be a good formula, in many ways,” Hoddle added.

“I think it’d be a shrewd move to have somebody, whether it was me or somebody experienced with him. Because the question would be: Is Rob ready to go into that sort of job now?

“Although in saying that, I went into my first management job at 30. What was I, 34? Yeah, 34. So I was very, very young.

“So you have to take that leap at some stage and you sort of learn on the job. But if you can learn on the job and have some experience around you, looking back, I could have done with that a hell of a lot.”

Pedro Porro was seen “smashing everything” on the bench after being substituted in Tottenham’s 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace on Thursday but did he ‘berate Igor Tudor’? No, no he didn’t.

Tudor has now lost all three of his games in charge with the defeat to Palace leaving them just one point above the relegation zone.

Spurs took the lead when Dominic Solanke smartly diverted Archie Gray’s cross past Dean Henderson, but th hosts capitulated in staggering style.

Micky van de Ven hauled Ismaila Sarr down in the box to conceded a penalty that the Palace winger converted and was show a red card for denial of a clear goalscoring opportunity.

Jorgen Strand Larsen put Palace ahead in first-half stoppage-time and there was still enough time before the break for Sarr to put the visitors 3-1 up and push Spurs and Tudor further into crisis.

Tottenham at least avoided embarrassment in the second half but Porro failed to hide his frustration when Tudor brought him off in the 74th minute.

“He’s smashed everything as he’s gone onto the bench and gave the fourth official a real earful. It’s a real headloss,” Joe Hart said on co-commentary.

“He’s obviously an emotional character; there’s fire that runs through him. It’s maybe how he gets the best out of himself. But he also needs to control that because he’s such an important player for Tottenham now.”

He did not, as talkSPORT claim, even ‘appear to berate Igor Tudor’, as the publication admits after clicking that juicy, bullsh*t headline.

The report states:

‘As Porro left the field, though, he turned back in his manager’s direction to berate the fourth official.

‘He could be seen shouting back at Ruebyn Ricardo as the official pointed towards the bench in an attempt to calm the Spanish defender down.’

Porro hit out at Tottenham’s shallow squad as he reflected on the “disaster” that is Tottenham’s Premier League season before the game.

He said: “Obviously, when you don’t have a squad capable of competing in four competitions, it’s difficult.

“You see the injuries and it’s a starting eleven that makes you think, ‘Wow.’ Last year was exactly the same; we had that momentum in the Europa League to win the competition, and the same thing happened in the Premier League.

“You have to build a project to compete in everything and be focused on everything.”

The Tottenham defender added: “Our situation in the Premier League is a disaster. But then you see how we’ve competed in the Champions League and barely conceded at home. It’s going to be two very intense matches, and we’ll see what happens.”

Tottenham Hotspur are ‘in total disarray’, a source inside the north London club has told BBC Sport commentator Jonathan Pearce, as Spurs suffered a damaging defeat to Crystal Palace at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday evening.

Spurs went down 3-1 to Palace at home in the Premier League to enhance their chances of getting relegated to the Championship.

Tottenham played most of the London derby with 10 players after Micky van de Ven was sent off in the 38th minute.

Spurs fans left Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in droves at half-time, when Palace were leading 3-1.

The defeat to Palace means that Tottenham are now just one point above the relegation zone.

Eminent journalist Jonathan Pearce was on BBC Radio 5 Live commentary duty for the London derby at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

READ: Spurs doomed for relegation under Tudor as worst self-destruction yet sparks ineffective ‘headloss’

At half-time, Pearce revealed what a senior source at Tottenham has told him about the club, and it’s deeply worrying for the fans.

Peace said on BBC Radio 5 Live: “I spoke to someone who I can’t name, but he is close to Tottenham Hotspur behind the scenes, and he said the club has been broken for seven years. This club is in total disarray.”

The defeat to Palace was Igor Tudor’s third in a row as manager of Spurs.

Tudor began his reign as the Tottenham interim manager with a 4-1 defeat to Arsenal in the North London derby.

Then came a 2-1 loss to Fulham at Craven Cottage in a London derby, and now a 3-1 defeat to Palace at home.

Many Tottenham fans were perplexed at the club’s decision to appoint Tudor as the interim manager following the sacking of Thomas Frank.

Ramon Vega has taken a swipe at the board for all the problems of Tottenham, with the former Spurs centre-back urging the club’s owners, ENIC, to ‘sell now’.

Vega wrote on X on Thursday evening: “Lewis family please sell now! Enough damage has been done over the years!!”

The pundit added: “The mismanagement of the board and owners is unacceptable!”

Vega futher noted: “For the sports football business school students I sometimes speak and teach at, I would definitely recommend Spurs as a great case study of how not to run a club from a sporting and recruitment perspective.

“The gap is way too big between revenue-driven focus without football success and neglecting the core part of the club on the success on the football pitch it’s way too risky and unsustainable.”

Igor Tudor wouldn’t be drawn into a discussion on one particular buzzword – and no, not even that one – after he lost his third game in three as Tottenham boss on Thursday.

Swathes of Tottenham fans are indeed calling for the Croat to be sacked just three games into his Spurs reign after a 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium leaves them just one point above the relegation zone.

Spurs took the lead when Dominic Solanke smartly diverted Archie Gray’s cross past Dean Henderson, but th hosts capitulated in staggering style.

Micky van de Ven hauled Ismaila Sarr down in the box to conceded a penalty that the Palace winger converted and was show a red card for denial of a clear goalscoring opportunity.

Jorgen Strand Larsen put Palace ahead in first-half stoppage-time and there was still enough time before the break for Sarr to put the visitors 3-1 up and push Spurs and Tudor further into crisis.

Tudor tried to be upbeat in his post-match interview, insisting he “saw something” from his team “even in the dressing room after the game”.

Tudor said: “After this game I believe in [them] more than before, maybe it sounds strange but this is it. I saw something in the team, I saw that there is something, even now in the dressing room after the game.

“When we will be complete and I choose the right guys, it will be good I believe. I saw something, some good energy, some wish to do, some passion. The fight, I saw it was there.

“Unfortunately the red card changed the game but there are still nine games to play.”

But the 47-year-old weirdly bristled when asked whether “pressure” – of the game, relegation, playing for Tottenham, whatever – was the cause of Van de Ven’s mistake in the 40th minute.

“We need to stop speaking about pressure,” he insisted. “This is not a topic I speak about.”

As he was asked whether there is pressure given Spurs are now just a point above the relegation zone and in horrible form compared to West Ham and Nottingham Forest – the teams they’re vying with to avoid the drop – Tudor tried to speak over the TNT Sports reporter.

When given the chance to respond, Tudor said bluntly: “I will not speak anymore about pressure.”

‘We need you tonight more than ever’ was the desperate pre-match plea from Tottenham Hotspur‘s stadium announcer to supporters, but they cannot be blamed for leaving in droves halfway through another utterly shambolic performance from a group of players who look increasingly likely to get relegated.

Failing head coach Igor Tudor has also pleaded with supporters to drive his team on to overcome their unrelenting plight, though fans have to be given something to get behind, and there was little evidence of their detached players acknowledging how serious their predicament is against Crystal Palace.

Fellow strugglers Palace were on top of an opening half an hour that sorely lacked quality, but Spurs were given an incredibly fortunate reprieve as Ismaila Sarr was denied a goal after VAR adjudged him to be offside with his nose.

The automated offside system is accurate to a fault, but the PGMOL’s insistence on trying to make Premier League games flawless through VAR is to the detriment of the product; Sarr’s nose gained him no advantage and giving more leeway to forwards with offsides should be a must for next season.

This lucky escape sparked an ever-so-brief Spurs upturn. They went up the other end of the pitch to score what should have been the game’s second perfectly good goal; Archie Gray orchestrated it with a great turn and assist to Dominic Solanke, and the striker diverted the ball into the net past Dean Henderson from close range.

BBC Sport’s Steve Sutcliffe on their live blog said this was Tottenham’s ‘best two minutes of the season’, but it came as no surprise that they instantly capitulated.

READ: Who will be Tottenham manager next season?

Spurs have had few players of whom they could hang their hat this season, but one let them down massively only four minutes after Solanke’s opener when Micky van de Ven pulled down Sarr as the last man to concede a penalty and get sent off.

It was careless of Van de Ven to let Sarr steal a march on him, and his dismissal means Spurs will be without one of their best defenders (after Cristian Romero’s four-match ban) due to suspension for seven straight games.

This self-destruction has been a major hallmark of Tottenham’s season, and they wilted further after Sarr nonchalantly converted his penalty past Guglielmo Vicario.

Adam Wharton was always likely to have a hand in breaking Spurs down and completing Palace’s comeback, but he would not have expected his mission to be so simple.

After Mathys Tel, as a makeshift left wing-back, gave away possession with a hospital ball in his own half, Wharton set up Jorgen Strand Larsen for Palace’s second, and he had acres of space to deliver a precise lofted ball to Sarr to score his second and his side’s third shortly before the break.

Tottenham’s ‘best’ two minutes of the season preceded their worst seven minutes, with this damaging sequence of events making relegation seem ever more inevitable.

Sitting only one point clear of 18th-placed West Ham after their priceless win over Fulham, Spurs are the worst-performing team in the Premier League.

Tudor laid down the gauntlet for his players to bite back after saying they are “lacking” in attack, midfield, defence and brain, but these same issues remained at the fore against Palace and the appointment of the supposed firefighter is proving the latest poor mistake from their inept board.

Co-commentator Joe Hart suspected there was a half-time “headloss” from Tudor as Tottenham’s players were back on the pitch a good few minutes before their opponents, but this hairdryer treatment and lambasting of his squad to the press has been equally ineffective.

Spurs are only going in one way under Tudor, who is already ‘at risk of being fired’, and could do worse than to turn to another manager as a Hail Mary. Some even want Tim Sherwood back.

Barring the odd exception, Tottenham’s squad “biggest” problem is that they do not have the “stomach” for the relegation fight, while West Ham and Nottingham Forest have shown far more survival instinct.

Without most of their best players due to injury and/or suspension, they will also not drag themselves to safety on quality alone, so it is looking really, really bleak and it’s hard to see them recovering.

Tottenham defender Pedro Porro has hit out at their “disaster” of a Premier League campaign and points to issues with the “project” at Spurs.

Spurs have had another terrible season in the Premier League after finishing 17th and winning the Europa League under Ange Postecoglou last term.

Tottenham ended up sacking Postecoglou in the summer and replaced him with Thomas Frank, who had enjoyed lots of relative success at Brentford.

However, with Tottenham in 17th place, Frank was sacked by Spurs last month as they look to interim head coach Igor Tudor to guide them away from relegation.

And sh*t got real on Wednesday night as a West Ham win saw Tottenham sucked to within a single point of the relegation zone ahead of their match against Crystal Palace on Thursday.

Tudor has lost both of his opening two matches in charge of Tottenham against Arsenal and Fulham and will be desperate to get something from their home clash versus the Eagles.

READ: Tudor ‘at risk of being sacked’ by Tottenham as patience runs thin in Spurs ‘farce’

Tottenham avoided the play-offs in the Champions League to qualify for the last 16 but Porro insists they don’t have the squad to compete in more than one competition.

Porro told Cadena SER: “Obviously, when you don’t have a squad capable of competing in four competitions, it’s difficult.

“You see the injuries and it’s a starting eleven that makes you think, ‘Wow.’ Last year was exactly the same; we had that momentum in the Europa League to win the competition, and the same thing happened in the Premier League.

“You have to build a project to compete in everything and be focused on everything.”

The Tottenham defender added: “Our situation in the Premier League is a disaster.

MAILBOX: Arsenal-baiting manager is ‘spanner’; he’s far worse than Mikel Arteta

“But then you see how we’ve competed in the Champions League and barely conceded at home. It’s going to be two very intense matches, and we’ll see what happens.”

Tudor’s assignment at Tottenham has been likened to his quest to save Udinese from relegation twice and return Juventus to the Champions League but the interim Spurs boss has rejected that.

Tudor told reporters on Wednesday: “The problems are totally different. At Juventus, there were 20 players for all these positions. Here, you come, you have 12 players. There you fight for the Champions League. Here, you fight for relegation.

“You go player by player and there are big differences everywhere. It’s not like you go and do the job in the same way and have the same results. It’s impossible because the level of difficulty is always different. There is no copying in anything, it’s a different team, different league, different position, different players.”

Tottenham interim boss Igor Tudor could already face being replaced before the end of the season after his horror start, according to reports.

Spurs sacked Thomas Frank at the beginning of February after an awful run of results in the Premier League that has seen them languishing towards the foot of the table.

And it hasn’t got any better under new interim boss Tudor, who has rarely stayed at one club more than a year or two, with Tottenham losing both their matches under the Croatian so far against Arsenal and Fulham.

Tottenham, who face Crystal Palace at home on Thursday night, are now just one point outside the relegation zone after West Ham beat Fulham at Craven Cottage on Wednesday.

It seems extremely unlikely that Tottenham would choose to find another manager before the end of the season but the potential of relegation could make them act.

And Italian publication Calciomercato has claimed that Tudor is ‘already at risk of being sacked’ ahead of their clash with Palace on Thursday.

MAILBOX: Arsenal-baiting manager is ‘spanner’; he’s far worse than Mikel Arteta

Tudor ‘was supposed to halt the London club’s free fall. Instead, just ten days after taking office, the Croatian manager is already facing possible dismissal.’

Another loss ‘could push the management to intervene quickly’ with West Ham and Nottingham Forest closing in and the report adds: ‘The manager’s message is clear: patience is running out, responsibility is shared, and the margin for error is rapidly diminishing. This hard line, however, risks further undermining the balance within the dressing room.’

Former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara reckons Tudor could be sacked if Spurs lose against Palace and labelled the whole club a “farce”.

O’Hara said on Sky Sports Fan Club: “I haven’t seen any evidence they have got better.

“They’ve got Crystal Palace at home on Thursday. If they lose that game, I can see them getting rid of him. He’s come in all guns blazing. You’ve been here five minutes. What you don’t need right now is a manager coming in and digging everyone out.

“You need someone coming in to breed some confidence and life out of these players. You’ve come in to get results. At the moment, you’re doing all these interviews…it’s risky business.

“I’d get rid of him [if he loses to Palace]. He’s an interim manager, and he’s lost the first three games. It’s a farce, but Tottenham is a farce.”

Speaking ahead of their match against Palace on Thursday, Tudor told reporters: “Coaches always feel the pressure. It’s a seven [out of ten]. It’s always a part of the job to feel the pressure, but also to enjoy in this job as much as you can enjoy.

READ: Tottenham ‘top’ manager target ‘not put off’ by relegation as they ‘could sack’ Tudor on one condition

“Good moments you enjoy, bad moments you don’t enjoy, but the pressure is always there. When I was 10, trying to be a football player, there was pressure. Start to play with the first team, I always feel the pressure.

“It’s a part of my life, and all the coaches, they live with that; it’s a normal part of that. But you need to find in that job some beauty, otherwise you don’t do this job. The beauty sometimes is difficult, challenges are very difficult, but you need to find beauty in that.”

The Tottenham interim boss added: “Everyone understands the situation. There is something wrong if you don’t understand. My job is to put the pressure away, but their job is to accept that the pressure is there.

“So the pressure is everywhere, but you need to love this job. There’s real pressure out there. People need to make money for their families or are working in jobs like doctors who are doing operations and they decide about life and death. That’s the real pressure.

“You need to be ready to accept this and stand up. Take responsibility. Have the courage to confront these things. This is the best way to do it, the only way to do it.

“I hope we have, and I’m sure because I saw in the training, the players to step up, take responsibility and make us start putting in, first of all, good performances, and after also win points.”

According to reports, Tottenham Hotspur’s ‘top’ target to be their next manager would “not be put off” if they are relegated this season.

Spurs are at risk of disaster as they face a real threat of relegation from the Premier League, sitting only four points clear of the bottom three.

Thomas Frank proved to be an awful appointment as he was a poor fit for the club, with their results and performances even worse than they were under former boss Ange Postecoglou.

Frank lasted longer than he should, but the north London outfit felt forced to act as their relegation fears increased and former Juventus boss Igor Tudor has been tasked with guiding them to safety.

However, Tudor has had a poor start at Spurs, losing his first two games against Arsenal and Fulham. His side are now winless in ten Premier League games and will look for their first league victory of 2026 when they face Crystal Palace on Thursday night.

It feels unlikely that Tudor will land the Spurs manager’s job permanently, even if he guides them to safety, especially as a report from our pals at TEAMtalk recently claimed former boss Mauricio Pochettino is their ‘top’ target ahead of the summer.

And in a boost for Spurs, journalist Ben Jacobs claims Pochettino would not be put off by the job “even if” they got relegation to the Championship.

“The good news for Tottenham fans is that, I’m told, Pochettino is open to returning, and would not necessarily be put off even if Spurs got relegated to the Championship,” Jacobs said on GiveMeSport’s YouTube channel.

READ: Tim Sherwood touted as Spurs solution as ‘not elite’ regular jettisoned

“But if they were a Championship club, they’ve obviously got to be able to still afford Maurizio Pochettino’s wage, which wouldn’t necessarily drop significantly.”

For now, a report from Football Insider claims Spurs ‘could sack’ Tudor if their losing run continues, with former Premier League chief scout Mick Brown explaining why there will be “major concerns” at the club.

“I was surprised when they brought Tudor in,” Brown told Football Insider.

“He’s got experience in Europe, but he’s never managed in the Premier League and never managed a club like Tottenham, it’s a different ball game entirely.

“I don’t think there’s any chance he stays on beyond the end of the season, with the results he’s had and the way he’s been speaking to the media. There’s even a possibility he could go before the end of the season if they keep losing games.

“Relegation is obviously a major concern and it changes the way they have to think about everything, it’s going to change which managers they can bring in as well.

“It’s difficult to see how they’re going to get out of this situation, especially with the manager in charge who hasn’t exactly given people hope.”

Spurs can be fixed pretty easily and that opens a massive Mailbox that also includes thoughts on Arne Slot, set-pieces and more.

Send your thoughts to theeditor@football365.com

FrankenSpurs?

Whatever about Spurs precarious league position, surely their lack of brain is more worrisome?

Sixyardbox, Stockholm

How to fix Spurs

After another dismal result at Fulham, I got to thinking; It’s all very well ranting about ENIC and recruitment. What do we need to do? If this was Championship Manager and I ran the show, what would I do?

So, firstly, assuming we stay up which, bearing in mind that West Ham and Forest are as bad if not worse, I still think we will, what do we do this summer? Each is headed by a song title that seemed appropriate!

We all know who the fans want. Will Poch come? If he won’t, I’d consider Tim Sherwood. He knows and likes the club, he’s perceptive on Sky. And he’s realistic as a target. Guardiola or Ancelotti ain’t coming. Marco Silva could work.

The players we should try to persuade to stay, assuming they are restored to full fitness.

Porro & Richarlison

Van de Ven & Romero

Kudus & Kulusevski

Gray & Bergvall

Maddison & Simons

Tel & Odobert (but send them out on loan. They’ve got potential but they’re not ready.)

Udogie.

I’d add Palhinha if he was ours to keep.

AKA, ‘Don’t let the door hit you where the good Lord split you’.

Undecided: Solanke. Clearly a good player. But it isn’t working for him at Spurs.

Gallagher. Too early to say, especially when he’s being played out of position.

Muani. Not ours to keep. I’d take him for a lowball fee but not big bucks.

Part two of “Sam Fixes Spurs” will be a list of players we should target this summer, but that’s for another day.

Kind regards,

Sam

Why supporting Spurs really ain’t that bad

In these difficult days to be a Spurs fan I thought I would write in with something positive.

One of the various mocking memes etc, was looking at a rebrand of our “to dare is to do” motto and came up with “It’s just who we are”. I know it was being negative but I quite liked it.

A friend of mine’s son, who was born in Tottenham, lamented as a very young child, with a limited idea of geography, “why couldn’t I have been born in Man U?”. I have never wished that I supported someone else.

It is 59 years since my first visit to White Hart Lane and I don’t regret for a moment that fate and family took me that way. I am a Spurs fan, it is just who I am. It would have been nice to have won more cups but I do not envy other clubs’ success.

Supporting Tottenham for me is about the shared community that I belong to, not least with my family who are all Spurs fans.

What a dreadful season on and off the pitch Sheffield Wednesday are having, but I bet for many of their supporters, whilst not exactly enjoying it, they have really relished the shared camaraderie of their fellow fans of togetherness in the face of such adversity.

For all the long periods of turgid football and mediocrity at Spurs through the ages there have been some wonderful moments. Seeing Hoddle at his majestic best and being able to enjoy Greaves, Gilzean, Waddle, Gascoigne, Dele, Harry and Son. And the other ones not really appreciated outside your club, like the ungainly Darren Anderton, who looked as if he was playing with a coat hanger still in his shirt. Just great.

So on Thursday night I will be there at the stadium with my son and daughter, brother and brother in law to cheer them on. And if the worst happens and we go down, I and they will be back. Because it’s Spurs “it’s just who we are”.

Sean, East Finchley

PS, I know that the letters page would indicate that your audience has only ever known the premier league and Glen Hoddle as a very dull pundit, but look him up. He really was special.

Apocalypse now?

For those of you who are not religious and not expecting fire, flood or pestilence as your signs, I would contend that a couple of sure indicators of the coming end of the World are MUFC in 3rd with 9 games to go, or St. Tottingham Day in February!

Adidasmufc

(Of course, bombing Iran might be another one!)

To the ‘F365 are sh*t’ moaners

To those moaning about the lack of decent content and actual tactical analysis (aka Arsenal & Liverpool fans when they get write ups they don’t agree with/emails they take exception to), I expect you’ll all be flocking to discuss the recent article about Pep’s adaptation/rebuild cycle in a genteel and respectful fashion. Quality stuff IMO.

At the time of writing this mail, it has 4 comments – 2 each from a couple of the more cerebral BTLers. Compare and contrast with any mailbox ever/99% of the more, erm, tongue in cheek articles (or outrageous slurs if you’re a gooner/kopite), where the same folk trade the same insults and ridiculous paranoia, and we all have to scroll past Harold and Davos slow dancing with each other for several yards of text. Again.

Hopefully I’ll be proved wrong, but I doubt it.

RHT/TS x

(Slot is simultaneously dead right and utterly ridiculous, considering his position, with his comments about the ugliness of current PL football)

…Thought I’d give you some positive feedback after seeing multiple messages in the mailbox recently moaning about the standard of the articles on your site. Whilst I agree some aren’t to my taste, and others are obviously click bait, it’s a free website we can choose to visit or not. I mainly concentrate on the Mailbox as a break from my working day and, as a Spurs fan, have relished the fact that neutral fans have now realized how insufferable Arsenal fans can be (are). Something us fans of the European Champions have known for a long time.

Mostly though, it’s Mediawatch I look forward to. Always makes me chuckle, and I love the thought of your guys trawling through articles/posts hoping to come across some drivel worth taking the p*ss out of, jumping with glee when they find some. Though to be fair, these days it doesn’t seem too hard to find. Anyways, keep up the good work.

Sam, Guernsey (Not even contemplating us going down, properly in denial)

Stop picking on Arne Slot, though

So Will Ford wrote a whole article, and a section of Big Midweek about Arne Slot’s comments that ‘ most of the games I see in the Premier League are not for me a joy to watch’.

I think that many would agree with Slot that there are currently a lot of games which aren’t great to watch, perhaps an over reliance on set pieces and penalty box grappling to gain an (unfair) advantage.

But he omits to mention that at no point did Slot state that Liverpool were any better or more attractive than the status quo, which is a telling omission, along with snide comments like ‘to hear Slot talk of the “joy” being sucked from football one would think he was one the great footballing philosophers.

It is clear Will Ford hates Arne Slot, but I have no idea why. He’s only said what many people think, and has not said his side is any better than the norm, so why the childish overreaction?

A, LFC, Montreal

…Will Ford seems to have found out Arne Slot, following his response to a question at a press conference. All the funny stuff with the heavy metal and the country and western! Must’ve been ages coming up with all that…

I’d love to make some alternative points. Slot was answering a direct question as honestly as he could. Last season, pundits were lining up to commend his refreshing honesty- a few months on and Will smells a bit of a chance to vent his anger and BOOM! He sticks the boot in. Nice one. Does Will remember who won the league last year? Does he feel they should win it every year? I am a football fan and I am interested to know what a premier league winning manager thinks because I think he might offer some insight.

What has Will done? Has he won the premier league recently? Because he certainly thinks very little of Arne Slot. He must think last year was very easy for Slot. After all, hadn’t Liverpool been winning it for fun lately? Well… no they hadn’t actually. They had won it once in about 4 decades so, unlike Will, I would think that Slot is allowed to have an opinion and after all, he was simply answering a direct question.

Does Will think Arne should celebrate this new physical direction that British football is taking and say “I love it, even though we are losing way more and are not good at set-pieces, I just love it- I love that we’re losing actually, it’s a great feeling.” Maybe he should jump on the table and celebrate like Tom Cruise on Oprah? Would that be better. Have some respect man.

Michael, Ireland

No sympathy for Villa

I’ve always like Villa. Always been good. Often been better than good. Had some very likeable players and managers. But I have zero sympathy for them right now.

From Big Midweek: ‘Strip any team of their starting midfield three and they would struggle in a similar manner.’

They have a talented midfielder that’s not even in their last 5 squads.

Yeah they can’t afford him…but they signed the loan deal. And now they leave a young player to rot even in the midst of an injury crisis!!

No sympathy. That sort of bad business mistake and bad faith to players you signed deserves bad outcomes.

This is the first time I can ever remember being happy with villa dropping points.

Elliott may not even be good enough to get them into the Champions League… but the treatment of him is enough to warrant a Villa fail.

Joe LFC

A note on penalties and Arsenal

My Good Lord there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth in this morning’s mailbox with regards to F365’s articles about Arsenal’s skulduggery at corners etc.

Look corners are always going to be a tussle. Put ten men in a small area chasing a ball with a lot on the line and there will be pushing and shoving. It’s inevitable for some competition and physicality to occur between players. But I think we’re definitely crossing a line between professionals competing and the sort of rough housing I would have expected to face in my old university league where everyone was shit, hungover and the refs were just representatives from other teams.

The level of shit housery we saw in the Chelsea Arsenal game was just ridiculous, embarrassing and nobody with three brain cells could try and defend the level of holding and outright fouls from both sides in that game. Any attempts do so can easily identified as biased tribalist nonsense

And the real problem here, in my humble opinion, is that refereeing is just wholly inconsistent. The outrage that Arsenal and Chelsea fans have while Spurs fans have seen the same decisions go against them with absolutely no consistency (I’m looking at you Gabriel going down like he took an RPG while similar goals get given against Fulham and Liverpool) is completely out of touch.

And we can talk about “interpreting the rules” until the cows come home but even in interpretation there has to be some consistency and we really are reaching the level of farce. Chelsea should have had two penalties as a result of those corners and I’ll even say arsenal should have had one. If refs won’t call these out then the bullshittery will continue and the quality of the league will keep falling

Finally one for my tinfoil hat enjoyers. I just saw today that Arsenal have conceded zero penalties this season. ZERO. NIL. The last time that happened over a full season was Liverpool 21/22 (obviously I’m aware there are still games to go but the point stands) and the reason I do find this egregious is because going back to the VERY first game of the season Arsenal had a stonewall penalty against Cunha in the 6 yard box not given. And after this last game against Chelsea where Arsenal players were defending in ways that would put you and me in the dock for sexual assault and there was STILL no penalty

So my tinfoil hat friends might think that there is general plan to help Arsenal win the league but let’s Ockham’s Razor here. I think if Arsenal had been conceding penalties at a more realistic rate in line with their “defending” were looking at a very different league table. Would love if someone had seen all their games and could shed some light on these penalty stats for and against because I don’t get to see much football. But I think the simpler reason is that poor refereeing standards have allowed Arsenal players to practice the dark arts (read: cheat) and they’ve been able to continue in that vein throughout the season to max points and find themselves top of the table.

Let me say that again. ZERO penalties against. NIL. F*** all. And after this weekends shenanigans I would love to hear my fellow mailboxers opinions about that.

Disgruntled, RSA

How do we combat the Arse?

Harold Eggfried Hooler asked the question what do we do about the win at all costs mentality versus entertainment, and that what possible rule changes could be brought in.

Arsene Wenger’s new offside rule looks like it will be brought in soon which is great (being trialled shortly in the Canadian league – but that’s a whole other story – plenty to come on that in time) – so that’s one. What I do believe however is that it is down to the managers – particularly the ones of the big clubs – you know – the ones with trillions to spend every year – but still insist on making corners their most potent and commonly used weapon rather than scoring from open play.

I’ve always disagreed with the notion that ultimately football/sport is all about winning. Not to me it isn’t. It’s an entertainment first and foremost – especially football. So if you have the resources to buy any footballer on planet earth every season then you really do have a responsibility to make your style of football ‘entertaining’.

We all have different tastes – but apart from Arsenal fans who just want to win at any cost (and always did – re: George Graham/offside trap/1 nil to the Arsenal – they got fed up and hounded Wenger out of the club because of his (sound) principles) – most fans do not wish to see 3 goals all scored from corners – and any likelihood of more goals coming from that source too. Its not that they are scoring from corners – its just that thats all they are doing. Say what you like about Ferguson, Pep, Klopp, Wenger, even Ange, (add in Luis Enrique and a few others in Europe the last few years) – they did not settle for just winning. They knew they had an obligation to their fans, football fans in general – and also to themselves – to make their brand of football progressive but above all great to watch.

I’m a Liverpool fan but I inwardly loved Utds style of play throughout the 90’s and 2000’s – always going for the win – always being positive and playing good looking direct football. In fact it used to embarrass me a bit when under Benitez we often didn’t do that and achieved a few triumphs with less than entertaining football. Not always – but often.

If you are mid-low position teams then maybe it is understandable – at least till you cement your place in the division. But if you are earning the bucks that the likes of Arsenal are then come on – you do owe it to the public to not be Big Sams Bolton. In fact they were way better to watch.

Shunt

…Harry, the answer to the corner scrums is mostly fairly simple: apply the existing laws properly and consistently.

Impeding a player by dragging or purposefully blocking them is a foul (easily identified at corners by players not looking at the ball but the player they’re seeking to stop). It doesn’t matter if both sides are doing it, punish them both, punish them all consistently and this nonsense will stop. If it takes a VAR pause of 10 minutes the first time to deal with all the stuff going on, take it, deal with it all and people won’t think they can get away with it just because there’s 5 other incidents going on.

As far as the time wasting, I don’t think 5 seconds would be reasonable although the chaos would be pretty hilarious as possession was passed back and forth before anyone could know they had it with ensuing yellow cards for kicking the ball away. But a firm limit on 20 seconds max would cut out a lot of that too. Does that give enough time for the big lad at the back to get forwards? It should, players in egg ball don’t get a breather when moving from ruck to maul.

A player moves too far from the spot for the throw-in or does a foul throw-in, warning then card.

Player dives for a free kick / penalty? VAR can see if there’s legit contact and if not, then it’s a yellow for simulation. If there happen to be 3 other incidents going on in the back ground of the same video review, deal with them as well.

Just apply the damned rules, and the same rules for each team.

Set pieces are a good aspect of the game, where organisation and training ground routines can be brought out. No issue with that at all. Free kicks take good skill to pull off. United won in 99 thanks in part to excellent corners and free kicks.

But the tolerance for routine piss-taking needs to stop. Go zero-tolerance scorched-earth. Treat players (and managers) like the unruly spoiled children they are, and they’ll learn soon enough. As long as they think they might get away with it, they will try and they’ll never stop pushing you.

Badwolf

Arsenal getting picked on part 427

There’s a lot of whining going on about corners and long throws. Lots of it directed, unfairly, at Arsenal.

For years Arsenal have been criticised for walking the ball in the net, having no grit etc etc, and have had to play against teams who park the bus (sorry, “low block”). Solution – work on a weakness and turn it into a strength, which is met with… Criticism. And just so people can get a sense of clarity, go and look at a typical Arsenal set piece. It isn’t all mayhem, grappling, chaos – it’s well practised routine. Now go and look at the set piece attacking/defending of teams who don’t play in red and white, and consider is it more of less physical than Arsenal’s approach. Also, you’d think Arsenal have a monopoly on this, but they’re what, one or two goals ahead of the next club on the list?

Now, there also seems to be a lot of noise about rules, punishments and VAR stepping in to ‘clean up corners’. Bullshit. Let them at it. Arms down, that’s it. Football is getting so pathetic. We’ve already allowed diving and simulation in the door. Remember when it was a keepers prerogative to wipe out anyone in their path. Stick with that! In all seriousness, can you imagine the inconsistencies in refereeing decisions – it will be piss boiling for supporters on a weekly basis.

Finally, unrelated, I’m glad there has been some recognition of the anti-Arsenal bias lately. Will Ford aka Stewie is no doubt a click-driver, but his bias is getting embarrassing for a mainstream website. He’s down in the pits with Chris Sutton at the moment, with Johnny-Nic on his way to joining them. Cliff R put it better than I could.

Diaby

The law is an ass

It is unfathomable how, in the same sport, someone can be rugby tackled or body-checked with impunity, while someone else can have a light hand on someone’s back or three fingers on their shoulder and it’s a foul and even a sending-off offence.

This isn’t a complaint about set pieces because I know how difficult it is to get a goal from a corner. But it’s beyond ridiculous that in the same penalty area, such vastly different standards are being applied.

Also, what happened to obstruction? Is it still against the rules? No one ever gets a free kick for it any more. We’ve all seen the defender leaning back against the attacker, with his arms back, as he “shepherds the ball out of play”. Some of the blocking at corners surely qualifies as obstruction.

We need clarification so that football retains its physicality and players are not rewarded for going over easily, but wrestling is confined to a different sport.

Paul in Brussels

Strictly come football

I see the predictable wailing and gnashing of teeth after Sundays CornerFest took football back to the bad old days (which were also the good old days when real men could take a tackle without rolling on the floor as if they were shot – it’s hard to keep up).

Goals scored from corners aren’t real goals obviously so should only be worth half a goal. Own goals aren’t real goals either are they? Half a goal for them too. What about goals bouncing in off yer arse after a goalmouth scramble? Scuffed toe pokes? Mishit crosses that end up in the net? Bit ridiculous that they’re worth as much as a 40 yard thunderbastard.

The only way to save football is to go full Strictly and have a panel of judges award marks out of ten for each score. Winners of the game will only be announced once the panel have concluded their deliberations. In a really tight title race the champions night only be crowned once Mays Goal of the Month has been decided.

Tottenham are frustated that an Arsenal-supporting academy scout made a joke about the Spurs badge not touching his skin, according to reports.

Thomas Frank, who was sacked earlier this year, came under fire in early January for strolling around the Vitality Stadium with an Arsenal-branded cup ahead of their 3-2 defeat to Bournemouth.

It was a disaster for Frank, who was already unpopular among Tottenham supporters, and the Dane was sacked just over a month later as poor results continued.

And now Tottenham have another embarrasing incident to address with the Daily Mail claiming Spurs are ‘deeply unimpressed’ that a new Arsenal-supporting academy scout, Neros Coachman, joked about not wanting the badge to touch his skin.

Coachman posted a picture of himself on social media posing in a Tottenham tracksuit with the caption: ‘Looking forward to getting the new set of superstars to the club’.

The Tottenham academy scout added: ‘You know the project’s good when you’re a boyhood Arsenal fan and you switch sides.’

READ: Igor Tudor and Spurs next? Ten managerial firefighters who couldn’t prevent relegation

One fan on social media responded, ‘Do not let that badge touch your skin’ to which Coachman replied: ‘I’ve already got the base layer.’

The usual attempts at fan banter followed with another poster insisting that Arsenal ‘need someone on the inside’ with Coachman responding with ‘shhhhh’.

After a snake emoji was shared, the new Tottenham scout said: ‘I know, I know, it’s deserved haha.’

Coachman, who was clearly responding in jest, claimed ‘it was tough’ when asked: ‘how the hell did you get dressed in that?’, about his Tottenham tracksuit.

Despite Coachman clearly joking around, the Daily Mail insists that his comments ‘are not thought to have gone down well at the Tottenham Stadium.’

MORE TOTTENHAM COVERAGE ON F365…

* Big Midweek: Aston Villa v Chelsea, Liverpool, Igor Tudor and Kai Havertz

* Premier League jumps on Tottenham-teasing bandwagon through hastily-deleted Vicario clip

* Tottenham: Ornstein reveals relegation ‘provision’ as Levy struck deals to ‘protect against doomsday’

The report adds: ‘Spurs are aware of the situation, thought to be ‘deeply unimpressed’ and the matter is understood to be being dealt with in-house.’

It is not what Tottenham needed at the moment with Spurs losing both of their matches since Igor Tudor replaced Frank to become interim boss until the end of the season.

Tottenham are four points above the relegation and responding to their latest defeat to Fulham, Tudor told reporters: “I cannot tell you anything new. We need to find the forces inside each of us.

“I said to the players: ‘It’s always what you’re going to do, what you want to do with yourself,’ you know? More personality, more wish to do before reacting, plenty of things …

“We are lacking when we attack, we lack the quality to score the goal. We are lacking in the middle to run and we are lacking behind to stay there to suffer and not concede the goal. So, an amazing situation. Amazing.”