Cartilage Free Captain

Welcome to another Track of the Day - Queen Edition, where your hoddler-in-chief features songs from the greatest band of all time. In previous editions we examined the roots of Queen with My Fairy King, Brian May’s deepcut Long Away and Freddie Mercury’s triumphant final act in The Show Must Go On.

Before we get to the main business, here’s a bonus track:

Fitzie’s track of the day, part one: Jailhouse Rock, by Queen

I discovered Queen when I was an angsty teenager in high school. No one else I knew liked them. I listened to Killer Queen and I was hooked. Then, of course, Bohemian Rhapsody. But other songs filled my brainwaves during those years too: Save Me, Flash Gordon, Brighton Rock, It’s a Hard Life, Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy, Somebody to Love, The Prophet’s Song, Innuendo, Now I’m Here.

I think all these songs were on the Greatest Hits CD boxset I was gifted during my second year in high school.

The song that floored me, though, was Seven Seas of Rhye.

This single followed their first single Keep Yourself Alive, which failed to deliver on the charts. But, wow, what a song this is.

There are some songs that scream “Queen” and this is it. The lyrics bound in the mystic world built by Mercury, a glorious piano riff that is soon joined by a hard rock sound heavily inspired by Led Zeppelin.

It also displays Queen not quite at their peak, but close to it. And I feel these lyrics represent the band better than most of what else they wrote:

Begone with you short and shady senators

Give out the good, leave out the bad evil cries

I challenge the mighty titan and his troubadours

And with a smile

I’ll take you to the seven seas of Rhye

It feels so “Freddie Mercury” to challenge something as mighty as a titan. And yet he and Queen did, rising far above whatever a titan could possibly attain.

I listened to this song countless times (like I listened to all Queen songs). I even remember it playing on the CD player while I was driving my date (both of us wearing purple)

in my purple vehicle to homecoming in my final year of high school.

It wasn’t fashionable to listen to Queen back then. I still don’t know if it is now. Adam Lambert certainly helped revive it. But when I claim that Queen are the greatest band of all time, you won’t hear me put forth Another One Bites the Dust as my example. I’ll probably put Seven Seas of Rhye there (or March of the Black Queen or Bohemian Rhapsody).

Fitzie’s track of the day, part two: Seven Seas of Rhye, by Queen

And now for your links:

Jack P-B ($$): “Are Spurs set for another ticket price hike? ‘Very soon, I won’t be able to come here any more’”

Dan KP: “Ange Postecoglou dismisses record against Man City and makes title claim”

BBC: “Mourinho v Turkish football - what is going on?”

During Tottenham Hotspur’s massive injury crisis at the start of 2025, I regularly posted that there weren’t any shortcuts to end the problem, and that “the only way out is through”. Today, Ange Postecoglou got back to posting is regular injury update videos on social media, and he expressed some very, very good news — Spurs are almost “through” the crisis.

In today’s video, Postecoglou said that four of Spurs’ remaining injured players — Cuti Romero, Micky van de Ven, Richarlison, and Dominic Solanke — have targeted returns to the squad within “7-10 days” which would put them in contention for Spurs’ Europa League first leg against AZ Alkmaar.

We’ve already seen what a few players back from injury combined with a non-insane fixture schedule can do to this Tottenham team — they’re on a three game winning streak in the Premier League and face tomorrow’s home fixture against Manchester City with something akin to actual optimism. There have also been posts on Spurs’ social media channels showing Cuti Romero back training with the full first team, which suggests that while he might not be ready vs. Manchester City, barring another setback a return vs. AZ feels reasonable.

Romero, Van de Ven, Richarlison and Solanke collectively represent a LOT of firepower for Spurs, and even if it takes them a while to get back up to speed it’s exciting to think about what Tottenham Hotspur can do in the back half of the season. The good vibes are back.

After 13 months, I can finally say I have finished reading Pessoa: A Biography by Richard Zenith, the 900-plus page book dedicated to quite possibly Portugal’s greatest writer.

The last hundred or so pages were read in a flash. As he reached the final years of his life, Pessoa was thrust into the sociopolitical elements of Portuguese society and Antonio Salazar. The book, as Pessoa’s life, reaches its end before the beginning of the Second World War.

The conclusion is a rich pay-off to the thousands of words that came before it. I spent many hours reading the history of Portugal, South Africa, American and British writers, Alestair Crowley, occultism, the study of modernism and naval adventures. All of these shaped Pessoa’s world.

And Pessoa would shape the world that he would depart, a world in which he chose to live as non-famously as possible. Who was this great poet that no one heard of?

I’ve already picked up one book of poetry (Verlaine), because of how it shaped Pessoa. And now I am in search of another, The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis, written by the illustrious Jose Saramago who was in no doubt inspired by Pessoa.

In all my readings I cannot find a writer whose style was more labrynthine or expansive. And yet his final written words could not be more laconic: “I know not what tomorrow will bring.”

I closed my book wanting to dive immediately back into The Book of Disquiet. Or should I read Saramago?

I instead turn to my shelf of neglected books and pick up M Train by Patti Smith, which she described as a “road map” to her life. It feels like a natural book to follow Pessoa. I’ve read Smith before (Just Kids) and understand how heavily inspired she was by poets who came before her (particularly the Romantic poets like Rimbaud and Verlaine).

And so I am currently devouring this book which name drops Frida Kahlo, Sylvia Plath, Haruki Murakami - too many notable figures to count.

And, of course, she listed The Book of Disquiet as one of her all-time favourite books. He was apparently given a mention in her book Year of the Monkey, in which she recounted visiting Pessoa’s personal library in Lisbon.

The above video is Patti Smith reading Salutation to Walt Whitman by Alvaro de Campos, a Pessoa heteronym heavily inspired by the American transcendentalist. Few writers were credited as inspiring Pessoa so much as Whitman, whose style and personality was so anti-Pessoan.

Unlike Pessoa, Whitman was full of life and expression. And we see this in Campos, whose life and work was far different from that of the withdrawn Pessoa.

Whitman, Rimbaud Verlaine, Shakespeare, Byron and Wilde. All significant influences on the works of Portugal’s greatest writer.

Rimbaud, Verlaine, Wilde, Camus and Genet. All significant influences on one of America’s most alluring song-writers.

As I chart the road map to Patti Smith’s life, I find myself at the strangest of intersections in which we both encountered Pessoa, Campos, Caeiro, Reis, Soares, Mora and Guedes.

Fitzie’s track of the day: The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face, by Roberta Flack

And now for your links:

Jack P-B ($$): “Tottenham can still salvage this season - here are three compelling reasons why”

Football London: “Yang Min-hyeok sub decision explained, Alfie Dorrington loan frustration and Luka Vuskovic goal”

Tottenham Hotspur’s midfield needs an overhaul this summer. That’s pretty much a universally acknowledged truth. What isn’t so clear is how that transformation is going to take place and which players Ange Postecoglou will opt to keep around before bringing in reinforcements.

The main decision that needs to be made is what to do with Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma. Lolo is 27, Bissouma is 28. Both have contracts that expire next summer, and decisions need to be made as to whether to extend one of them, both of them, or neither of them as they enter into the “twilight years” of their careers. Neither of them are sixes in the style that Ange Postecoglou wants, and both have at times struggled with injury, form, and overall fitness with what Postecoglou wants to do.

In truth, this is a decision that probably should’ve been made LAST summer, but Tottenham apparently didn’t like the midfield market and opted to kick the can down the road. But now perhaps we have a clue as to what Postecoglou and the club wants to do.

According to Sami Mokbel at the Daily Mail (sigh, I know, but Mokbel is a solidly reliable journo despite working for that rag), Tottenham have opened preliminary talks to extend Bentancur’s contract.

There’s a ways to go here, but it appears that if there’s a choice between Bissouma and Bentancur, the club has chosen Lolo. It’s an interesting choice. Lolo has been... let’s say “up and down” over the past year or so. He hasn’t looked like the same player since returning from a major injury last season, and of course he had the whole Korean racist video thing and subsequent suspension. But since getting some rest recently, he’s played well the past couple of matches. He’s also a year younger than Bissouma, and Yves has also been inconsistent.

Tottenham have an option to purchase Real Betis midfielder Johnny Cardoso this summer should they choose, and there’s also the possibility of working Archie Gray into the midfield next season as well, a position that Spurs apparently still think is in Gray’s long term future. Extending Bentancur and letting Bissouma go this summer would reduce the need for a more drastic summer overhaul (and the need to sign two central midfielders), and it maybe provides a little bit of clarity as to how Johan Lange and Postecoglou want to see from the midfield next season.

Bentancur has some agency, of course. He could choose not to extend and to move on this summer as well, or they could decide to extend BOTH Lolo and Yves (which would be a pretty crazy outcome, to be honest). But irrespective of that, it sure does seem like the club has chosen it’s fighter for next year.

Tottenham Hotspur won their third consecutive Premier League match on Saturday, dispatching a most likely relegation-bound Ipswich Town by a final score of 1-4, avenging Ipswich’s win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium earlier in the season. Brennan Johnson back-posted his way to a brace, and Spurs added goals from Djed Spence and a spectacular goal off the post from Dejan Kulusevski.

Has the tide turned? Are Spurs finally behind the plough? Sure seems that way, but we’ll find out more this Wednesday when Spurs host Manchester City.

Ipswich Town are the Tractor Boys. Why? Who knows, ask the English. I am not a farmer and don’t know much about actual tractors, but when has that stopped me from making definitive rankings of Spurs players based on arbitrary criteria that I don’t fully understand?

So here are my player ratings for Tottenham’s 1-4 win over Ipswich Town to the theme of tractors.

The gold standard for tractoring, and also apparently hella expensive. Nothing runs (or costs) like a Deere.

Son Heung-Min (Community — 4.0): He didn’t score, but this was still Sonny at his best — dynamic and exciting on the ball and in space, constantly looking to set up his teammates. Two assists on the day and had chances to score. Excellent.

Like I said, I know very little about tractors but this New Holland one is blue and has freakin’ TANK TREADS on the back, so I say it rules.

Djed Spence (Community — 4.5): Solid on both sides of the ball, and on both flanks as he spent time both at LB and RB. Well-taken deflected goal as well. Djed Spence might just be our best fullback right now, and he gave Pedro Porro a deserved rest.

A quick scan of several tractor message boards (and yes, there are many) reveals that Fendt has a very, very good reputation for tractors and farm implements, especially for those who like John Deere but don’t want to pay John Deere prices.

Guglielmo Vicario (Community — 4.0): Googly Elmo kept Spurs in the match early with a spectacular double save on Liam Delap’s first minute chance, and had a few more solid stops and catches in the first half. Had less to do in the second half as Spurs went ahead big. Solid match.

Kevin Danso (Community — 4.0): Lost Hutchinson for Ipswich’s goal, but was extremely solid the rest of the time. Started at LCB due to Ange’s decision and would’ve been better against Delap, but I understand the reasoning for starting him there.

Archie Gray (Community — 4.0): Liam Delap gave him a hiding a couple of times, but after a few scares Archie settled down and played quite well. What impressed me most was his long ball to Sonny’s feet for Spurs’ first goal — very impressive that an 18-year-old playing out of position has that pass in his locker.

Lucas Bergvall (Community — 4.0): Lucas is now putting up consistently good performances late in this season, and that’s probably the silver lining to the injury cloud — it’s very unlikely he would’ve had the minutes he’s had otherwise. Solid, brave performance in midfield. This kid is special.

Dejan Kulusevski (Community — 4.0): Still looks a little tired, but had a lot more energy thanks to some extra rest than we’ve seen in past matches. Exceptional cutback goal off the post. Gimme, gimme, gimme.

Brennan Johnson (Community — 4.0): All he does is score goals! Two typically Brennanish back post strikes and had a chance for a hatty. As much as he disappears in other facets of the game, I’m not sure there’s anyone better in the league at that late back post run. Spurs’ leading goal scorer in all competitions with 14.

Ange Postecoglou (Community — 4.0): We won! Hooray! Full marks for the gaffer! But seriously, Ange’s system just works so much better when he has something closer to a fully healthy first team squad.

I get the sense that Kubota is the Honda of the tractor world — perhaps a little less expensive to own, but gets high marks for reliability and performance. They also have high marks for customer loyalty. Plus they’re bright orange, and that kinda rules.

Destiny Udogie (Community — 3.5): Looked a little rusty in his first start since his injury, but was solid defensively and had a good opportunity to score in the first half. Welcome back, king.

Rodrigo Bentancur (Community — 3.5): Solid enough performance and had a gorgeous through-ball to set up Son for Spurs’ second goal.

James Maddison (Community — 4.0): Added a spark with his creativity late and got an assist in the process. Madders just seems right now like a guy with whom managed minutes will be the reality.

Dane Scarlett (Community — 3.5): A nice little cameo appearance from the Great Dane, who also had a flicked header that set up Dejan Kulusevski’s goal. Getting a tune out of Dane yet this season would be nice, even if I’m still not convinced he’s a Tottenham player long term.

My general sense is that Massey Ferguson tractors are more popular in the UK than elsewhere. They seem to be a decent mid-tier line, and they’re red and pretty. Sure!

Mathys Tel (Community — 3.0): I still think Tel is an out-and-out striker rather than a wide forward, and so is playing in the right position. He’s young and is still adapting to the speed and strength of the Premier League, but he was getting into good positions. He’ll get there, but we need to be patient with him.

Pedro Porro (Community — 3.5): Rested for this one (which he needed) and was fine as a late sub with the game mostly already in hand.

Wilson Odobert (Community — 3.0): I still feel like I barely know the guy, but Wilson put in a solid enough shift as a late sub..

Did you know Lamborghini started off as a tractor company? I didn’t, but I do know that Jeremy Clarkson bought a Lambo tractor for the first season of Clarkson’s Farm, which feels very on brand. I don’t know much about the reliability of Lambo tractors, I just don’t like Clarkson.

Tom Carroll Memorial Non-Rating:

Good morning, hoddlers.

This is your hoddler-in-chief, writing to you from the past. For today it is 19 February 2025.

But the hoddle is for the 24th February.

Yes, yes. I am heading back to Washington after a weekend in Connecticut. Nothing like a getaway up north to escape the winter weather.

I think I just finished packing for my trip. I’m not sure. I am just trying to decide on the shoes. Yeah I can wear my sneakers, but I’d rather wear boots. But then I’d also have to bring my sneakers with me. And I already decided to leave behind my short-distance running shoes.

That’s all besides the point.

Which is funny, because there is no point.

Here’s the secret, dear hoddlers. Today’s hoddle has no point. It is merely an exercise in how many lines I can grafs out of my mind. I’m currently at eight.

Now nine.

So please use this space to write all about Tottenham’s game against Ipswich Town, or whatever else you wanna do.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Mercy, Mercy, Mercy, by The Cannonball Adderley Quintet

And now for your links

The State Journal-Register: “This Springfield tearoom has more than just tasty beverages and pastries”

BBC: “‘It’s out of this world’ - Everton fans get first glimpse of new stadium”

Tottenham Hotspur went to Ipswich, the team in the relegation zone that beat them at home, and crushed them 4-1 behind a brace from Brennan Johnson and goals from Djed Spence and Dejan Kulusevski. It was a good match.

It’s time to rate the players.

Rate the players from 1⁄2 to 5 stars. If the player doesn’t deserve a rating due to minutes played, DO NOT RANK. I will round the stars up/down to the nearest half-star for the player ratings later this week.

Tottenham Hotspur captured its third consecutive Premier League victory thanks to the likes of a first-half brace from Brennan Johnson and stellar goals from Djed Spence and Dejan Kulusevski in the second half to knock off the Tractor Boys of Ipswich Town, 4-1.

Looking to shake the woes of the first meeting, in which the side was humiliated, 2-1, in the fixture at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Spurs had to endure an early bit of trouble from Liam Delap. The Ipswich striker had successive chances in the opening five minutes.

The first was the most troubling as his strike forced a save from Guglielmo Vicario and eventually more heroics from the Italian as he kept the ball off the line as Omari Hutchinson stood in his way. Luckily, Ipswich was flagged for being offside, but it wasn't a great sight to see a relegation-battling side just pick through the midfield and defense.

Fighting through the opening 15 minutes, Spurs eventually found their mark in the game as Archie Gray played a lovely over-the-top ball down the left channel for Son Heung-min. Being a step ahead of the defense and dribbling his way into the face of two defenders, Son did his classic left-foot pass across the face of the goal for Brennan Johnson to come onto it and tap it into the back of the net.

Johnson picked up his brace minutes later as he connected once more with Son as the Welsh winger was all alone in the middle of the box. Receiving the ball for a first-time strike that went through two pairs of Ipswich defenders' legs, Johnson put Spurs in a good spot with a 2-0 lead.

With the game rolling from the start, Ipswich were bound to get a goal, and they did so in the 36th minute as Omari Hutchinson linked up with former Spurs player Jack Clarke to cut the deficit to 2-1 and into the break.

On the telecast, Spurs were shown as dropping 21 points from a winning position — the worst in the league — and for a moment, it felt that Spurs had dropped all three points when Ipswich had a free header at the back post from a run of play off a free kick. But the linesman put his flag up, and the replay showed that four players were offside for Ipswich. Able to breathe a sigh of relief, Spurs brought on James Maddison, and the game completely changed.

Minutes after coming onto the pitch, the left side of Wilson Odobert, Djed Spence, and Maddison linked up for a beautiful play for a goal. Odobert pulled the defense in on his touch and allowed Soence to run down the wing, with Maddison getting the ball near the 18-yard nox. Eventually, taking on three defenders in the box and seeing Spence overlap past him into the middle of the box, Spence received the ball, took a touch onto his right foot and put his shot into the back of the net as it bounced off a defender.

Leading 3-1 and seeing the game out, Dejan Kulusevski put the game to rest for good. Dane Scarlett won a header in a battle with Jimmy Greaves as the flick on left space down the right flank for Kulusevksi to have space. Taking the space for himself, Kulusevski eventually cut onto his favorable left foot and slotted a curling shot onto the left post and in for a 4-1 scoreline.

Tottenham Hotspur secured a valuable three points against a languishing Manchester United side last week, and now, with another week of rest, have a chance to build some momentum with a match away to Ipswich Town.

The Town sit in the relegation zone and have a lot to play for; but with the week off and Spurs’ squad looking more robust by the day (I am currently throwing salt over my shoulder, crossing myself, and touching every piece of lumber within spitting distance) the Lilywhites will be confident of a third win in a row.

Are you all as confident?

COYS!

Lineups

Lineups will be posted closer to kick-off.

Live Blog

How to Watch

Ipswich Town vs. Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, UK

Saturday, February 22, 2025

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

TV: USA Network, not televised in UK. Check international listings at livesoccertv.com

Streaming: nbcsports.com

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!

Earlier today in the article comments, I and some other users got into a friendly linguistic tête-à-tête over the use of verb tenses when referring to football clubs, and the differences between British English and American English usage. It’s a topic that pops up every so often as people leave the site and new people start commenting. In that conversation, I admit that I waffle back and forth between “Tottenham is/Tottenham are” and that I basically just ask that readers “roll around in the linguistic mud” with me.

Well, speaking of linguistic mud, there’s a new piece in The Athletic (£) that states the club have asked the media not to refer to the club as “Tottenham,” but either as “Tottenham Hotspur” or “Spurs.” This insistence on the club’s official name is part of the brand refresh that was debuted last year with the slightly tweaked logo, new colorways, a return to the THFC lettermark, and refreshed fonts.

Now, if you’re reading this you’re likely to have one of two reactions. The first is to wonder what the big deal is — Tottenham Hotspur is a football club, Tottenham is a region in North London. Spurs being the brand that they are, it would make perfect sense for them to insist on the club’s full and complete name — Tottenham Hotspur — and not the town for which they reside. It’s a marketing thing, no different from Wolverhampton Wanderers not wanting to be referred to as “Wolverhampton,” but either the full name of the club or “Wolves.” The article also brings up Aston Villa, and how weird it’d be if people talked about watching “Aston” play, and the linguistic confusion by having two Premier League clubs in Manchester.

The other reaction is to get irrationally upset. How DARE the club police the use of its own name by football supporters! Isn’t this just another example of the club focusing more on the business enterprise and raising money than the wishes of the salt of the earth match going football supporters? I’ll call ‘em Tottenham if I want to! LEVY OUT!

Frankly, this has nothing to to with supporters. This is a media thing — the club has now insisted that channels like Sky, NBC, TNT Sports, etc. use the club’s full name, either “Tottenham Hotspur” or “Spurs” (if the former doesn’t fit) on graphics and other media instead of “Tottenham.” This apparently happened a few weeks ago, and the media has agreed to abide by the club’s request.

The club is certainly NOT asking fans to abide by this. That would require changing fan songs, chants, and heavy policing of language. The use of “Tottenham” is practically baked into fan culture. There’s really no way that the club could enforce something like that, even if they wanted to (and they probably don’t).

So why am I writing this up? Well, it’s a slow news day and also this is catching fire a bit on social media by angry Spurs fans that should probably know better, so why not. Basically, it’s a news story that, depending on how you discuss or write about it, will make most people say “Oh, hmm, yeah that makes sense” and the dumbest people online extremely angry for reasons. Don’t be one of the latter.