Giggles have been few and far between at Nottingham Forest so far in what has proved to be a miserable season.
However, the hope is that the arrival of former player Sean Dyche will have a much-needed galvanising effect at the City Ground.
Inside Sport can reveal that there has already been an uplift in morale thanks, unwittingly, to previous manager Ange Postecoglou, whose tenure lasted for just 39 days.
During the short time he was there, the Australian was surprised to find that, when he arrived at the side of the Trent the club did not possess one of the giant, mobile touch screens that are now commonplace in the top-flight and are a key tool when heading to away grounds.
Eager to back Postecoglou, Forest officials were quick to order one of the high-tech devices, which cost tens of thousands. The screen finally landed on Wednesday last week – four days after the Antipodean had been shown the door.
It's more Tottenham turnover
More turnover at Tottenham Hotspur, with highly-regarded executive Rebecca Capelhorn to depart the club in the new year, Inside Sport understands.
Capelhorn is Spurs’ director of football administration and governance and has been a key figure behind the scenes for more than a decade after arriving from Queen’s Park Rangers as head of football operations in 2015.
While her work on the men’s side has been extensive, Capelhorn has also been a driving force in establishing Tottenham’s women’s team in the WSL.
She also represents the Premier League on the FA Council and has been heavily involved in Spurs’s dealings with the European Football Clubs (formerly ECA).
Known as a sound operator, there are likely to be a number of suitors for Capelhorn, in a development that those within the industry will view as a blow for the club.
Her pending departure follows the exit of former chairman Daniel Levy and a host of execs as chief executive Vinai Venkatesham puts his mark on the club’s leadership team.
What's next for Sheffield Wednesday
Much rejoicing among Sheffield Wednesday supporters for obvious reasons after Friday’s administration, which Daily Mail Sport predicted earlier this month, spelled the end for despised owner Dejphon Chansiri.
The situation has also been helped by the fact that Sheffield 3, a separate company linked to Chansiri that owns Hillsborough, also entered administration.
That means the Thai businessman will effectively not have any further influence on the club – unlike the situation Derby County faced in 2021 when former owner Mel Morris retained ownership of Pride Park.
However, Chansiri, whose reckless tenure brought one of the country’s major footballing institutions to its knees, may have provided a sting in the tail on his way out.
A charge on the stadium, lodged by Sussex-based lender New Avenue Projects, now totals £7.3m and will need to be carefully dealt with by Begbies Traynor, who say they will take their fees from a resulting sale of the club.
From press box to child prodige!
Manchester United's press box security officer departed the club this weekend – but it may well not be the last that journalists have seen of him. Luke Owens was presented with a signed shirt from club legend Bryan Robson as a thank you for his 15 years of service at Old Trafford.
Owens has a full-time job through the week but is thought to be leaving his United role to spend more time with his two-year-old son Jude, who has become a social media sensation thanks to his uncanny ability on a snooker table.
Little Owens junior, who uses a special stool to allow him to access the table, has thousands of followers on his Instagram account, judey147, and a video of him sinking pots with ease now has more than 10m likes. A future involving reds of a different kind for father and son may well be on the cards.
Indonesia's foot-shooting
Last week, Inside Sport reported how Indonesia had self-delivered a seemingly fatal blow to their ambition to host the 2036 Olympics when they chose to ban Israel’s team for the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships.
Right on cue, a thoroughly unimpressed IOC released a statement which revealed that it had ended any dialogue with the world’s most populous Muslim nation over hosting future events until their government could provide specific guarantees over access for athletes.
The foot-shoot may well be good news for rival bidders Qatar and Istanbul.
Guglielmo Vicario was accused of time-wasting by Monaco boss Sebastien Pocognoli after his goalkeeping heroics earned Tottenham a precious point in the Champions League.
'He was outstanding, he made some great saves,' said Pocognoli. 'He wasted also a lot of time between each free-kick, long kicks. Good performance from him, man of the match.'
Monaco peppered Vicario's goal with 23 shots, but the Italian keeper made a series of splendid saves as Spurs recorded their first goalless draw since March 2023, a run stretching over 125 games.
'It was a game relatively even first half and then second half Monaco were better than us,' said Spurs boss Thomas Frank.
'We didn't hit the performance we want. We lacked a bit of intensity, all over the game, especially second half.
'And this combined, it can happen. We are learning in the Champions League again, every game is difficult especially the away games. Monaco had their best half of the season against us. Fair play.
'Then the ability for us to compete Premier League and Champions League, it is a challenge we want and we're up to. Last year we were in the Europa League.
'We take it step by step and it's not a bad thing on bad day to get a point and a clean sheet. And a big thing is down to Vicario.'
The draw against Monaco, who were still without Paul Pogba, puts Spurs 15th in the Champions League group phase table after their opening three games.
Frank's side are back in Premier League action on Sunday with a trip to Hill Dickinson Stadium to face Everton.
Security may be under scrutiny in the French capital after the Paris jewel heist, but Tottenham made it out of the Principality of Monaco with another precious Champions League point in the stash bag.
It was a feat largely down to Guglielmo Vicario, the goalkeeper who produced a fabulous series of saves as the hosts peppered his goal with 23 shots, the best of them late in the game from Jordan Teze. Perhaps they can get him a job at the Louvre.
Thomas Frank's side were far from fluent and created little. They worked hard to protect their clean sheet, however, remain unbeaten away from home this season and have five points from their first three games, two of them away from home.
This was their first goalless draw in 125 games since March 2023 against AC Milan and a Champions League exit in the last 16 under Antonio Conte.
Daily Mail Sport's MATT BARLOW was at the Stade Louis II to run the rule over Spurs.
Midfield enigma
Having pleaded pre match for patience with Xavi Simons, Spurs boss Thomas Frank opted to start without his £52million summer signing and recalled Lucas Bergvall as he gave his midfield shape a little tweak.
Frank started with with Palhinha as the deepest of the trio, flanked to the right by Rodrigo Bentancur and the left by Bergvall, who has quickly become a favourite with the fans, but does have a habit of taking risks on the ball in defensive areas.
The Swedish teenager was caught out on the edge of his own penalty area as Monaco made a strong start to the game. Guglielmo Vicario came to the rescue with the first of three first-half saves to deny former Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun.
Vicario has come in for criticism since his return from the broken ankle suffered last year, but here he stood up manfully to the pressure. He frustrated Balogun through the early exchanges and scrambled back to clear a miscued cross from Maghnes Akliouche which was drifting over his head and appeared set to drop inside the far post.
Midway through the first half, in a bid to establish a foothold in the contest, Frank realigned his midfield trio. He pulled Bentancur slightly deeper, in alongside Palhinha and released Bergvall as more of an orthodox No 10 giving his team more of a 4-2-3-1 shape than the 4-3-3 they started with, but Monaco continued to dominate.
Creative quest
Richarlison was back up front, replacing Mathys Tel who has not been selected for their UEFA Champions League squad. Spurs were without 10 senior players through a combination to a lengthening injury list and those not available because Spurs has failed to plan properly to maximise their quotas.
The Brazilian had scored only one in 10 in club colours since two against Burnley on the opening day of the season and was feeding off scraps in the first half. Tottenham found it difficult to play through their hosts.
One sharp chance came Richarlison's way, collecting a pass from Wilson Odobert as he eased onto his left foot, but Monaco defenders were quick to crowd him out before he could shoot.
Odobert looked bright with the solidity of Archie Gray behind him at left back. Gray's opportunities have been limited under Frank but he made his usual intelligent contribution, making good defensive decisions and supporting his winger in attack.
Frank's team found it difficult to contain Akliouche who caused problems in the area between Micky van de Ven, the left-sided centre-half and Gray.
Tottenham's main attacking threat came from set pieces, including Kevin Danso's long throws, and when they managed to keep Monaco pinned into their own defensive third after a set piece. Danso and Micky van de Ven were also a threat in the air.
Incremental progress…
Monaco held Manchester City to a draw last month, although much has happened since. They have slipped to seventh in the French league and changed head coaches, with former West Bromwich Albion left back Sebastien Pocognoli, who won the Belgian title with Union Saint Gilloise, brought in to replace Adi Hutter.
Pocognoli started with a draw at Angers on Saturday and will be furious his team did not find a goal against Spurs. Vicario was inspired in the Tottenham but there were enough chances for the home side. Takumi Minamino squandered a flurry of them after coming on.
Frank will reflect on the strength of the defensive display but must finetune the balance of his team. The Champions League tie is at home against Copenhagen before they travel to face champions Paris Saint-Germain, who scored seven at Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday.
Spurs held them in the Super Cup but PSG are purring again and that promises to be a thorough test of their defensive mettle. It will help if they can beat Copenhagen at home and go to France with eight points on the board.
Follow Daily Mail Sport's live blog for the latest score, team news and updates as Chelsea host Ajax at Stamford Bridge, whilst Tottenham travel to Stade Louis II to take on AS Monaco, with Kieran Gill and Matt Barlow reporting from the grounds.
Xavi Simons promised flair and Tottenham fans are waiting. Drumming fingers because he was unable to influence the game against Aston Villa. Rolling eyes about the failed 'rabona' pass at Leeds.
Not quite the drumroll anyone expected before the £52million summer signing made any sort of impact.
A big fee brings impatience. Just ask Florian Wirtz who, at 22, is the same age as Simons and cost more than twice as much for Liverpool to sign from Bayer Leverkusen.
Neither have found it easy to hit the rhythm of the Premier League as they did in the Bundesliga, and Wirtz has been in situ since June. Simons did not arrive until the end of August.
'It's a very good comparison,' said Frank, ahead of a Champions League tie in Monaco. 'Wirtz, also a very good player just like Xavi coming into a new country, new club, new city, just need to settle and it is part of it.
'We are all getting judged every game, but we also need to see the bigger perspective. I look for glimpses and with Xavi I asked him to be more arriving in the box and when I looked back at the [Villa] game, he did. Was there a big eye-catching moment? No, but there were glimpses so it's going a little bit in the right direction.'
Simons has played 499 minutes in all competitions for Spurs and is yet to score. He has registered one assist, on his debut at West Ham when one of his corners was headed in by Pape Matar Sarr.
These basic numbers are not ideal for a player recruited to fill the creative void.
And on days like Sunday, when Villa won at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium thanks to goals by Morgan Rogers and Emi Buendia, attacking midfielders akin to Simons, drifting between the lines and scoring with high-class finishes from the fringes of the penalty area, it becomes the topic of debate.
Online conspiracies swirled around whether his teammates were passing him the ball.
In the Premier League, however, Opta statistics showed Simons receives more open play passes per 90 minutes than Mohammed Kudus, who has made a strong start to his Spurs career since a £55m move from West Ham.
So, let's rule out the conspiracy theory. There are probably simpler, more basic factors in play as Thomas Frank tinkers with personnel in attacking areas as he searches for some chemistry.
As for Simons, he has played off the left but is ideally suited as the number 10 in Frank's current 4-2-3-1 formation. One very good judge of Dutch football told me when he signed that he could not see him excelling in the role off the left Tottenham and thus far it looks like an accurate assessment.
The Netherlands international was nurtured in Barcelona's La Masia academy. He adored Neymar, trod the same path from Catalunya to Paris Saint-Germain and, when asked to sum up his own style of football in one word after joining Spurs, he opted for 'flair' in homage to his hero.
Simons fits the number 10 role in the modern sense because he has abundant energy. He is quick, dynamic, in perpetual motion, closing defenders down. He can thread passes, bounce one-twos and threaten the goal when on top of his game.
Tottenham have seen him fizzing just the once, off the bench at Brighton to help the team fight back from two down to salvage a draw. In those 29 minutes at the Amex Stadium, Simons had a cluster of three clear shots compared to just the one in the four Premier League games when he started.
He should have scored one of them, but it was undoubtedly his finest display in a Spurs shirt.
It came with Frank's team committed to attack and opponents rattled. Lucas Bergvall and Joao Palhinha were deep in midfield by the time he came on, Kudus was excelling on the right, Richarlison a physical presence up front and Wilson Odobert, who later gave way to Brennan Johnson, offering pace on the left.
Spurs tried to replicate it a week later against Wolves, deploying Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur deep in midfield, Simons off the left and Bergvall at number 10, but on that day, they were fortunate to escape with a draw, at home against the team bottom of the Premier League.
Frank has restored Simons in the number 10 position for the last two games, sacrificing Bergvall, last season's player of the year and darling of the fans. At 19, it seems Bergvall has yet to earn the manager's trust in a deeper midfield role.
Spurs also look a better team with Sarr's mileage in midfield and yet he has not started in the Premier League since Simons made his debut. The right midfield formula eludes Frank, and that is connected as ever to other parts of the team.
'We are relatively early days,' said the Dane. 'There has been a lot of progress overall. Very good in high pressure. Very aggressive against Villa. Very intense. Offensively, we scored quite a few goals and that's what it's about.
'Also, how many teams right now play free-flowing top football three games in a row, in the Premier League? We are aiming for the perfect game every game. That's what we want. But we know what we are working at and progressing nicely.'
The two recent Premier League games with Simons in number 10 - against Leeds and Aston Villa - both featured Mathys Tel at centre forward rather than Richarlison.
Tel is a very different type of player, who cannot provide the same focal point holding the ball up with his back to goal, duelling with centre halves and linking play as the Brazilian can.
There are missing elements too, because Dominic Solanke and Randal Kolo Muani have been injured. Brennan Johnson, top scorer last season, cannot get a game because of Kudus.
And there are moving parts because Frank likes to tweak his tactical plan depending on opponents.
Villa are solid down the spine, with Boubacar Kamara and Amadou Onana shielding the central defenders and wide players often tucking inside, so Spurs tried to play around and not through them.
It worked early on, but the Spurs boss conceded he would have liked more creativity from open play.
So, it is not only about Simons. There is more to it, but he must shoulder some responsibility. In his breakthrough year at PSV Eindhoven, he scored 21 goals in 44 appearances, and 24 goals in 78 during two years at Leipzig.
The Premier League is a step up and he might need time to adapt but if he is to be Tottenham's number 10 and supply the flair, he must influence the games because Bergvall is competing for the same role and Dejan Kulusevski will be back in contention before the end of the year.
Tottenham were forced to replace Cristian Romero at late notice going into their clash with Aston Villa.
Romero had been named in Thomas Frank's starting line-up for their first game back after the international break.
But an injury in the warm-up saw Romero unable to play and Spurs announced that Kevin Danso had taken his place.
It also meant that fellow defender Micky van de Ven had to step up and take the armband ahead of a momentous day.
Going into the clash, Tottenham sat fifth in the table with the chance to leapfrog Bournemouth, Liverpool, and Manchester City.
Romero has had to contend with a lot of injury trouble since joining Spurs (initially on loan) in 2021.
The 27-year-old has experienced 10 separate injury-layoffs since moving to north London, with four of those being related to his hamstring.
Between December and March last season, the Argentinian sat out 21 games as he dealt with a major hamstring blow.
He has been heavily involved in Tottenham's action this campaign, starting nine of their 10 games in all competitions prior to Sunday's clash.
The only one he had missed was their trip to Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League, having to miss out on that one due to injury also.
Thomas Frank will hope to keep fitness issues to a minimum after seeing how much they hampered by predecessor Ange Postecoglou.
The tolls of a long domestic and Europa League campaign saw injuries become a weekly anxiety for Postecoglou, and ultimately contributed to their 17th-placed finish in the Premier League.
Follow Daily Mail Sport's live blog for the latest score, teams news and updates as Tottenham play host to Aston Villa at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the Premier League, with Matt Barlow reporting from the ground.
Fabio Paratici has returned to Tottenham Hotspur as sporting director after serving a 30-month ban for false accounting, the club have confirmed.
The Italian was hit with the ban during his first stint in north London for his role in alleged financial regularities relating back to his time at Juventus in early 2023.
Paratici later appealed the decision, unsuccessfully, before official stepping away from his role as at Spurs in April 2023 after two years at the club.
But now he's back, with Spurs confirming on Wednesday that Paratici has been appointed as their new sporting director alongside Johan Lange, formerly an Aston Villa chief.
'I'm delighted to be returning to a club that I love,' Paratici said, 'I have been working with Johan, Vinai (Venkatesham) and Thomas (Frank) as a consultant for a number of months and I now look forward to returning to London and joining the team full-time.
'I'm convinced that working in partnership with Johan we can build a special future for our club and supporters.'
With the former Juventus chief continuing to work as an unofficial consultant at Spurs during his ban, when his suspension finished in July, there had been strong rumours of a return despite links to AC Milan.
But Paratici's case in the Italian courts only reached its conclusion last month when a judge in Rome accepted a plea bargain by former Juventus executives over their alleged false accounting.
Previously agreed prison sentences of 20 months for ex-Old Lady chairman Andrea Agnelli, 18 months for Paratici and 14 months for Pavel Nedved were suspended. All three of the chiefs deny wrongdoing.
Juventus were also fined £136,000 following the investigation, which started in 2021, with the club releasing a statement reading: 'The plea agreement does not entail any admission or recognition of liability.'
Paratici's return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium comes at a time of change for the club after the exit of long-serving chairman Daniel Levy in September.
Peter Charrington later stepped into the role of non-executive chairman in place of Levy, working alongside Vinai Venkatesham, who takes charge of all operational matters on and off the pitch.
Upon the appointment of Spurs' two new sporting directors, Vekatesham said: 'This is an important evolution in how we operate. The remit of a sporting director is vast, and by uniting two exceptional leaders in Johan and Fabio, we're setting the foundations for sustained success.
'They are both outstanding football minds, with complementary expertise and strong track records. This structure reflects our ambition and our determination to compete at the very highest level to deliver for our supporters.
'Together, Fabio and Johan will lead with purpose - building not only a competitive men's squad but a connected football ecosystem where every detail contributes to our shared ambition: to make our club a benchmark for excellence in world football.'
Spurs have enjoyed a promising start to the season since the arrival of Thomas Frank from Brentford in the summer.
They sit in third position after the Premier League's opening seven game-weeks having lost just one fixture.
They host Aston Villa in north London on Thursday.
Tottenham star Yves Bissouma looked in agony as a foul forced him to be stretchered off just nine seconds into his first outing of the season.
Bissouma, 29, has not featured this campaign for Spurs after persistently turning up late for training over the summer.
But he looked like he might revive his season on Sunday as he came on for Mali against Madagascar in their 4-1 World Cup qualifying win.
The midfielder was brought on in the 67th minute with Mali 3-0 up but he was hacked down just nine seconds after play resumed and writhed on the floor in pain.
Bissouma had made an instant impact, intercepting a pass and looking to start a counter-attack before he was stopped in his tracks by an agricultural challenge.
He appeared to be gesturing at his left ankle and covered his face as team-mates gathered around him. He tried to get up to walk off the pitch independently but was unable to.
It marks another major blow for Bissouma, who may have been hoping that international involvement could catapult him into Thomas Frank's plans.
He suffered a long-term ankle injury in the 2022-23 season, missing 17 games as a result, and the fear is that he could be set for another lengthy lay-off, though that has not been confirmed.
Bissouma was axed from Spurs' squad for the UEFA Super Cup defeat by Paris Saint-Germain and subsequently left out of their Champions League group.
When available he has been heavily involved in their last three seasons since joining for £25million from Brighton. He started in their Europa League final victory against Manchester United in May.
However, he will have to pull up his socks to get a look in under Frank.
Explaining the Malian's exclusion for the UEFA Super Cup, Frank said: 'Bissouma isn't here because of disciplinary reasons. He's been late several times and the latest time was just one too many.
'You need to give your players a lot of love, also have demands, and there also need to be consequences. This time there was a consequence.'
Over the summer, Bissouma was linked with a move away from the club.
Daily Mail Sport previously reported how Roma and Fenerbahce had expressed an interest in Bissouma, while Galatasaray were also keen.