Cartilage Free Captain

Tottenham Hotspur have officially announced that another player is out the door this summer, but it’s probably not the one you were thinking of. The club’s academy account tweeted today that 21-year-old midfielder Yago Santiago has been sold to Spanish second division side Elche. The transfer fee was not disclosed.

Santiago joined Tottenham’s academy from Celta Vigo as a 16-year-old in 2019 and gained a little bit of buzz among fans who were tracking the academy players, but Yago never seemed to get his breakthrough, especially in recent seasons. Last season he played well in the Premier League 2, tallying 8G+7a in 1700 minutes of action, a very solid return, playing mostly as an attacking mid. I think a number of fans were hoping that he’d be given a chance with the first team this preseason, but it appears Ange Postecoglou and the rest of the academy disagreed.

That said, this is exactly how the academy is supposed to work. Most of the players coming through Tottenham’s youth system are not going to make it at Tottenham Hotspur, and selling them to other clubs for a small profit is a positive outcome. Santiago heading to the Spanish Segunda Division is good — he’ll get a chance to establish himself as a professional footballer in his home country, and hopefully earn himself a move to a bigger and better club. Hard to see this as anything but a success for Spurs’ academy.

My guess is Santiago was probably sold for a small fee with maybe a sell-on clause tacked on in the event he explodes and gets sold to a bigger club, and that’s fine. Maybe we’ll get further reporting on that in the future, but for now it’s just a big ol’ unknown.

Good luck, Yago.

Tottenham Hotspur have officially announced that another player is out the door this summer, but it’s probably not the one you were thinking of. The club’s academy account tweeted today that 21-year-old midfielder Yago Santiago has been sold to Spanish second division side Elche. The transfer fee was not disclosed.

Santiago joined Tottenham’s academy from Celta Vigo as a 16-year-old in 2019 and gained a little bit of buzz among fans who were tracking the academy players, but Yago never seemed to get his breakthrough, especially in recent seasons. Last season he played well in the Premier League 2, tallying 8G+7a in 1700 minutes of action, a very solid return, playing mostly as an attacking mid. I think a number of fans were hoping that he’d be given a chance with the first team this preseason, but it appears Ange Postecoglou and the rest of the academy disagreed.

That said, this is exactly how the academy is supposed to work. Most of the players coming through Tottenham’s youth system are not going to make it at Tottenham Hotspur, and selling them to other clubs for a small profit is a positive outcome. Santiago heading to the Spanish Segunda Division is good — he’ll get a chance to establish himself as a professional footballer in his home country, and hopefully earn himself a move to a bigger and better club. Hard to see this as anything but a success for Spurs’ academy.

My guess is Santiago was probably sold for a small fee with maybe a sell-on clause tacked on in the event he explodes and gets sold to a bigger club, and that’s fine. Maybe we’ll get further reporting on that in the future, but for now it’s just a big ol’ unknown.

Good luck, Yago.

good morning!

I was at Foyles on Tottenham Court Road, figuring out which direction to go. I knew I wanted fiction, but what? I walked to K.

Kafka, Keats, Kagan, King. No, no. Kerouac - Kerouac! Yes, yes! Jack Kerouac! It’s so obvious.

I pick up a copy of On The Road. Of course I need to read this. Of course, of course I do. How could I understand the Grateful Dead, the Doors, Bob Dylan or Patti Smith if I don’t read Jack Kerouac?

Ahh, besides, I’m going on a road trip to Iceland in a few days. Perfect, perfect. On The Road it is.

I knew there was some meaningful connection between the Dead and Kerouac. Notably with Jerry Garcia. And I knew there was something to do with Neal Cassady and Bob Weir.

I did not know Neal Cassady was an integral part to this book.

I wake up my first night in Iceland in a fever, still sick. Ah, well. That’s a shame. Adventures must wait until tomorrow. Til then, I shall explore locally.

——

My second day in Iceland I rev up the engine of my Kia Creed and make may way south-bound, to some place past Vik.

Later that night I would be at some bookstore that turned into some late-night music venue.

A faithful servant to the sounds of the world, marched on to the tunes of the pied piper to stumble upon such a place.

(Here’s a piece of advice for your travellers. If you ever get lost, just sing this verse from The Kinks to yourself: If you don’t know which way to go / Just open your ears and follow your nose’ / cause the street is shakin’ from the tapping of toes)

Apparently I was not first in the queue as many another had already arrived. Nevermind that, said I, as I took my seat on the second level of the buildling, equipped with my Kerouac.

Fitzie’s track of the day, part one: The Other One, by the Grateful Dead

I liken myself to some Cassadian character, lurched forward at the steering wheel, eyes fixed on the paved road in some unknown land, listening to the Dead as I look to discover something unkown to myself. Something that, until moments soon to be realised, were nonexistant to me.

After coming around one particular bend I come across Skogafoss.

Hooooo-wee! Whoa, what a waterfall!!

I pull up, as do the throngs of other tourists.

I walk up closer to the gargantuan rush of water crashing down before me, its mist expanding and expanding, crashing onto my jacket, coiling my hair.

An inimitable roar rushes over me.

A force so powerful that I, but a meek fellow, could only imagine it were being thrust forward by the Almighty Hand of God.

I walk up the steep staircase, each step closer to the heavens, to get a closer view of the Almighty Hand of God pushing the river out towards the ocean.

And what a sight. The emerald greens, cast alight by the dazzling sun shining above us all. The roaring waters. Every hundred or so metres brought about a new discovery - a new waterfall.

Hestavadsfoss, Fosstorfufoss, Steinbogafoss.

Each powerful. But all were humbled by the strength, the lion’s roar of Skogafoss - the roar of a thousand lions - the Fist of Almighty God’s hand crashing down onto the earth.

I eventually departed, to travel a little past Vik, somewhere still along Iceland’s south coast. Past the Black Sand Beach. To a place called Alftaversgígar.

I don’t know why I was going there, only that I had it written down. And as I continued my drive beyond the Black Sand Beach I noticed I was the only car on the road driving past Vik, driving past this barren landscape where the horizon gave birth to only flatland.

Eventually I arrive at Alftaversgígar.

Is this it? Surely, it musn’t be. There is no one here. No one but me.

I look to my left and see what is some gigantic - absolutely gigantic - mass of ice block some distance ahead of me. As if it were the place where Almighty God had rested on the Seventh Day.

But before me there was nothing but mossy green. This barren land of lichen, black sand and still black water, with these strange cones, bursting from the flat earth some hundreds of miles out onto the horizon - and, of course, the Throne of Almighty God further than that.

Am I in Hell? Is God dead here:

Here I was, in this Nietzschian landscape, well beyond the scope of Almight God. Here I was, standing on this solitary mound, master of Nothing, surveyor of queer lands and dark desolate landscapes.

Above me were only grey, cloudy skies. There was a dirt pit. My Kia Creed. Some sign about Alftaversgígar, a staircase leading to nowhere. And nowhere else.

I never felt so alone in this Universe.

Surrounded, drowning in an impish terranium, standing on the precipice of the Residence of the Alimighty God, as He imposes His Almighty Power not just before me but before all those who seek to uncover the Beauties, the Tragedies, the Mysteries of The Universe.

Fitzie’s track of the day, part two: Space, by the Grateful Dead

And now for your links:

The Athletic ($$) does an interview with Ben Davies

Meanwhile, Dejan Kulusevski speaks with Alasdair Gold

good morning!

I was at Foyles on Tottenham Court Road, figuring out which direction to go. I knew I wanted fiction, but what? I walked to K.

Kafka, Keats, Kagan, King. No, no. Kerouac - Kerouac! Yes, yes! Jack Kerouac! It’s so obvious.

I pick up a copy of On The Road. Of course I need to read this. Of course, of course I do. How could I understand the Grateful Dead, the Doors, Bob Dylan or Patti Smith if I don’t read Jack Kerouac?

Ahh, besides, I’m going on a road trip to Iceland in a few days. Perfect, perfect. On The Road it is.

I knew there was some meaningful connection between the Dead and Kerouac. Notably with Jerry Garcia. And I knew there was something to do with Neal Cassady and Bob Weir.

I did not know Neal Cassady was an integral part to this book.

I wake up my first night in Iceland in a fever, still sick. Ah, well. That’s a shame. Adventures must wait until tomorrow. Til then, I shall explore locally.

——

My second day in Iceland I rev up the engine of my Kia Creed and make may way south-bound, to some place past Vik.

Later that night I would be at some bookstore that turned into some late-night music venue.

A faithful servant to the sounds of the world, marched on to the tunes of the pied piper to stumble upon such a place.

(Here’s a piece of advice for your travellers. If you ever get lost, just sing this verse from The Kinks to yourself: If you don’t know which way to go / Just open your ears and follow your nose’ / cause the street is shakin’ from the tapping of toes)

Apparently I was not first in the queue as many another had already arrived. Nevermind that, said I, as I took my seat on the second level of the buildling, equipped with my Kerouac.

Fitzie’s track of the day, part one: The Other One, by the Grateful Dead

I liken myself to some Cassadian character, lurched forward at the steering wheel, eyes fixed on the paved road in some unknown land, listening to the Dead as I look to discover something unkown to myself. Something that, until moments soon to be realised, were nonexistant to me.

After coming around one particular bend I come across Skogafoss.

Hooooo-wee! Whoa, what a waterfall!!

I pull up, as do the throngs of other tourists.

I walk up closer to the gargantuan rush of water crashing down before me, its mist expanding and expanding, crashing onto my jacket, coiling my hair.

An inimitable roar rushes over me.

A force so powerful that I, but a meek fellow, could only imagine it were being thrust forward by the Almighty Hand of God.

I walk up the steep staircase, each step closer to the heavens, to get a closer view of the Almighty Hand of God pushing the river out towards the ocean.

And what a sight. The emerald greens, cast alight by the dazzling sun shining above us all. The roaring waters. Every hundred or so metres brought about a new discovery - a new waterfall.

Hestavadsfoss, Fosstorfufoss, Steinbogafoss.

Each powerful. But all were humbled by the strength, the lion’s roar of Skogafoss - the roar of a thousand lions - the Fist of Almighty God’s hand crashing down onto the earth.

I eventually departed, to travel a little past Vik, somewhere still along Iceland’s south coast. Past the Black Sand Beach. To a place called Alftaversgígar.

I don’t know why I was going there, only that I had it written down. And as I continued my drive beyond the Black Sand Beach I noticed I was the only car on the road driving past Vik, driving past this barren landscape where the horizon gave birth to only flatland.

Eventually I arrive at Alftaversgígar.

Is this it? Surely, it musn’t be. There is no one here. No one but me.

I look to my left and see what is some gigantic - absolutely gigantic - mass of ice block some distance ahead of me. As if it were the place where Almighty God had rested on the Seventh Day.

But before me there was nothing but mossy green. This barren land of lichen, black sand and still black water, with these strange cones, bursting from the flat earth some hundreds of miles out onto the horizon - and, of course, the Throne of Almighty God further than that.

Am I in Hell? Is God dead here:

Here I was, in this Nietzschian landscape, well beyond the scope of Almight God. Here I was, standing on this solitary mound, master of Nothing, surveyor of queer lands and dark desolate landscapes.

Above me were only grey, cloudy skies. There was a dirt pit. My Kia Creed. Some sign about Alftaversgígar, a staircase leading to nowhere. And nowhere else.

I never felt so alone in this Universe.

Surrounded, drowning in an impish terranium, standing on the precipice of the Residence of the Alimighty God, as He imposes His Almighty Power not just before me but before all those who seek to uncover the Beauties, the Tragedies, the Mysteries of The Universe.

Fitzie’s track of the day, part two: Space, by the Grateful Dead

And now for your links:

The Athletic ($$) does an interview with Ben Davies

Meanwhile, Dejan Kulusevski speaks with Alasdair Gold

Another one out the door! ...Kinda! Tottenham Hotspur today formally announced that Spanish winger Bryan Gil has left the club on loan for the season at Girona.

The release doesn’t say it, but the scuttlebut is that Gil has also signed a one-year contract extension at the club that will technically keep him on as a Spurs player until the end of the 2026-27 season

I wrote earlier about how unusual this deal is, especially for a player whom Spurs have seemed content to try and offload for a couple of seasons now. But it does make sense if you think about it. As part of Gil’s new Tottenham contract, he has had a €15m purchase clause inserted, and Girona has been given priority to trigger it next summer if they desire. If they choose not to exercise Gil’s purchase clause, any other club can trigger it.

So why do this? Well, Gil currently doesn’t have much of a market, and reports have had a lot of clubs bidding in the single figure million euros for a player whom Spurs purchased for Erik Lamela + £25m just a few seasons ago. Gil was a promising young player at Sevilla and now is joining a Girona club on loan that will play in the Champions League this season, so this is a bet that Gil can jump-start his career with a good loan. Extending his Spurs contract means Tottenham have a touch more leverage as Gil would otherwise enter into the last year of his initial contract next summer, and the €15m purchase clause is pretty much stating Spurs’ price for what it would take to sign him permanently.

So it’s more down-the-road can-kicking here, but it really does feel like an upside bet (right up to the point where Bryan barely sees the pitch for Girona next season and we do this all over again next summer).

There are also unconfirmed reports that Gil’s new contract includes a reduction in his weekly wages, which also might make him more appealing to continental clubs in next summer’s transfer window.

Gil, like Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, did not join Spurs on their Asian tour this summer as he looked for further opportunities in the transfer window. And in truth, this does feel like a good opportunity for him to join a hungry club playing Champions League football and re-establish his football bonafides. For everyone’s sake — Gil’s, Tottenham’s, Girona’s — I hope it works out.

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Preseason is a time of optimism and hope for football fans, and nowhere is that hope more pronounced than at Tottenham Hotspur. Buoyed by good preseason friendly performances and the exciting emergence of several highly-talented youth players, Spurs are flying, and the expectations for an improvement under Ange Postecoglou in year two of his tenure are high.

And that’s not just the fan perception — the players sense it too. In an interview with Football.London today, Dejan Kulusevski gave comments that suggest the team is training and operating with a different set of assumptions to last season — most of the team is now familiar with Postecoglou, his philosophy, and the way he wants his team to play. Though last season had its challenges, particularly on the injury front, the club remained uncompromising in its playing style and were able to qualify for the Europa League, finishing fifth in the table.

According to Kulusevski, this season is where the real work begins, and the players are picking up on it. Year one was about the vibes. Year two is about the specifics and tactical minutae.

“[This club] has to be, has to be [challenging at the top], and I think we showed glimpses of that last year, but we have to do it for one whole year, I think that’s maybe the harder part of it, to not play good for maybe a month and then you go down a little bit.

“I think you have to do it the whole year, like the other teams, like Man City and Arsenal did it last year, so that is what we are trying to train. I noticed already a little bit of change in the training, and we are very, very focused on doing much better than last year.

“I noticed that it’s much more about how we’re playing, and every exercise has been thinking a lot of making the players understand how we want to play.

“Maybe last year was much more just play, you know, play and do your things, but now, it’s much more...they’ve been thinking a lot about training sessions and trying to make everyone understand what they want from them in the team.”

This tracks with what we know about Ange Postecoglou’s previous managerial stints at other clubs. Although Celtic was an outlier (winning the SPL in Ange’s first season), there and at Yokohama Marinos, Postecoglou’s focus in his first season was first establishing a mentality at the club and trying to instill basic core concepts into the squad. The second year is when a lot of the more technical and tactical elements got added in, once the players were comfortable with the basic contours of Ange-Ball. Marinos is also where Postecoglou saw his biggest one-season improvement, taking his team from initial relegation worries and a 12th place finish in year one to winning the J-League with a goal differential of +30 in 2019. Postecoglou also showed a dramatic improvement in year 2 at Celtic once his principles were established.

So it’s interesting to read Kulusevski’s comments about “just play, you know, play and do your things” in this context. Postecoglou clearly has a long-term plan in mind for how he wants to develop this Tottenham team. Deki is noticing that the work is different this season — perhaps more granular, more specific, more tactical, because the stakes are higher as are the expectations. That should get everyone excited by what’s possible in year 2 of Ange-Ball in North London.

Deki also gave some interesting answers about his own play and tactical evolution under Postecoglou, saying that he’s had, and continues to, adjust his playing style to the demands of his manager’s tactics.

“A little bit, of course, because you have to do what the manager wants, because the team has a clear path in how they want to play. Of course, [as] a winger, you see less of the ball, but you have to be ready all the time to go in the space and put early balls in to cross and always be ready to score goals – while in the middle, you’re much more involved, so I have to [adapt], of course, when I play.

“I have to look where I am on the pitch and what I can do for the team, but I have to stay aware of everything, because it can change within a game also. I maybe start as a midfielder, then you go out to be a winger, you know. Last year, I finished the last game as a striker, you’ve got to be ready for everything.”

Tottenham emulating Yokohama Marinos’ dramatic path to a league title this season under Postecoglou is perhaps unrealistic. But we have enough evidence of how Big Ange works with his squads to anticipate that Tottenham could very well be primed for a significant improvement this season, if the pieces all fall into place. Spurs are still working in the transfer market to bring in a few new players, and have established a core of very young players with high ceilings that should continue to raise the ceiling of what this club can accomplish. And if Kulusevski’s comments are any indication, the pattern is clear.

Preseason is a time of optimism and hope for football fans, and nowhere is that hope more pronounced than at Tottenham Hotspur. Buoyed by good preseason friendly performances and the exciting emergence of several highly-talented youth players, Spurs are flying, and the expectations for an improvement under Ange Postecoglou in year two of his tenure are high.

And that’s not just the fan perception — the players sense it too. In an interview with Football.London today, Dejan Kulusevski gave comments that suggest the team is training and operating with a different set of assumptions to last season — most of the team is now familiar with Postecoglou, his philosophy, and the way he wants his team to play. Though last season had its challenges, particularly on the injury front, the club remained uncompromising in its playing style and were able to qualify for the Europa League, finishing fifth in the table.

According to Kulusevski, this season is where the real work begins, and the players are picking up on it. Year one was about the vibes. Year two is about the specifics and tactical minutae.

“[This club] has to be, has to be [challenging at the top], and I think we showed glimpses of that last year, but we have to do it for one whole year, I think that’s maybe the harder part of it, to not play good for maybe a month and then you go down a little bit.

“I think you have to do it the whole year, like the other teams, like Man City and Arsenal did it last year, so that is what we are trying to train. I noticed already a little bit of change in the training, and we are very, very focused on doing much better than last year.

“I noticed that it’s much more about how we’re playing, and every exercise has been thinking a lot of making the players understand how we want to play.

“Maybe last year was much more just play, you know, play and do your things, but now, it’s much more...they’ve been thinking a lot about training sessions and trying to make everyone understand what they want from them in the team.”

This tracks with what we know about Ange Postecoglou’s previous managerial stints at other clubs. Although Celtic was an outlier (winning the SPL in Ange’s first season), there and at Yokohama Marinos, Postecoglou’s focus in his first season was first establishing a mentality at the club and trying to instill basic core concepts into the squad. The second year is when a lot of the more technical and tactical elements got added in, once the players were comfortable with the basic contours of Ange-Ball. Marinos is also where Postecoglou saw his biggest one-season improvement, taking his team from initial relegation worries and a 12th place finish in year one to winning the J-League with a goal differential of +30 in 2019. Postecoglou also showed a dramatic improvement in year 2 at Celtic once his principles were established.

So it’s interesting to read Kulusevski’s comments about “just play, you know, play and do your things” in this context. Postecoglou clearly has a long-term plan in mind for how he wants to develop this Tottenham team. Deki is noticing that the work is different this season — perhaps more granular, more specific, more tactical, because the stakes are higher as are the expectations. That should get everyone excited by what’s possible in year 2 of Ange-Ball in North London.

Deki also gave some interesting answers about his own play and tactical evolution under Postecoglou, saying that he’s had, and continues to, adjust his playing style to the demands of his manager’s tactics.

“A little bit, of course, because you have to do what the manager wants, because the team has a clear path in how they want to play. Of course, [as] a winger, you see less of the ball, but you have to be ready all the time to go in the space and put early balls in to cross and always be ready to score goals – while in the middle, you’re much more involved, so I have to [adapt], of course, when I play.

“I have to look where I am on the pitch and what I can do for the team, but I have to stay aware of everything, because it can change within a game also. I maybe start as a midfielder, then you go out to be a winger, you know. Last year, I finished the last game as a striker, you’ve got to be ready for everything.”

Tottenham emulating Yokohama Marinos’ dramatic path to a league title this season under Postecoglou is perhaps unrealistic. But we have enough evidence of how Big Ange works with his squads to anticipate that Tottenham could very well be primed for a significant improvement this season, if the pieces all fall into place. Spurs are still working in the transfer market to bring in a few new players, and have established a core of very young players with high ceilings that should continue to raise the ceiling of what this club can accomplish. And if Kulusevski’s comments are any indication, the pattern is clear.

Death, taxes, David Pleat. That’s what it’s felt like over the past two decades at Tottenham Hotspur — the 79-year-old Pleat has had a remarkable 20+ year association with the club, starting with his stint as manager back in the 1986-87 season. Today, the club announced that Pleat has “stepped back” from his role with Spurs’ scouting team, ending his official duties after fourteen years as a scout.

Pleat’s had a remarkable run with Tottenham, despite not playing for the club as a footballer. His stint as full manager in 1986-87 resulted in a third-place finish in the table and a run to the FA Cup final and League Cup semifinal while managing Glen Hoddle, Ossie Ardiles, Chris Waddle, and Clive Allen. While he left the club in October the following season he returned as caretaker manager on three separate occasions — 1998, 2001, and 2003. He clearly has a brilliant mind for the game, because there’s no other way you can stay associated with football for as long as he has.

He’s been an omnipresent part of Tottenham’s scouting operations over the years, and fans will probably know him best as the man chiefly responsible for identifying and bringing in Dele from MK Dons, as well as identifying Jan Vertonghen, Ben Davies, Jermain Defoe, and many others. Whatever other contributions he’s had for Spurs’ recruitment efforts, we’ll always have that.

Speaking on the club website, Pleat had this to say about his decision to step down:

“Football is my life and continues to be. Spurs has been a huge part of that. However the game and its methods change and it’s time for me to now step back from my scouting role. I look forward to watching the Club have great success in the coming years. I hope to continue my association with the game.”

—David Pleat

As fans, we can parse that statement however we want. It does seem to suggest that Spurs’ move to data-driven analysis and recruitment methods in recent years is a departure from Pleat’s skill-set, and fair enough! It’s no longer enough to just send an old, sharp football mind like Pleat to a bunch of games and say “pick us out a good lad, Pleatey” (though there’s clearly still a role for the “eye test” in modern scouting). Regardless, there does seem to be a sense encoded in Pleat’s remarks above that the game has moved on past him and it’s time to make way for people more comfortable with computers, advanced metrics, and data.

It’s hard to say whether stepping down is fully Pleat’s decision or whether the club decided they wanted to move in a different direction. Either could be the case, but it hardly matters. Pleat’s been a fantastic and long-standing part of the club and deserves recognition today for his years of service. Thanks, David.

Death, taxes, David Pleat. That’s what it’s felt like over the past two decades at Tottenham Hotspur — the 79-year-old Pleat has had a remarkable 20+ year association with the club, starting with his stint as manager back in the 1986-87 season. Today, the club announced that Pleat has “stepped back” from his role with Spurs’ scouting team, ending his official duties after fourteen years as a scout.

Pleat’s had a remarkable run with Tottenham, despite not playing for the club as a footballer. His stint as full manager in 1986-87 resulted in a third-place finish in the table and a run to the FA Cup final and League Cup semifinal while managing Glen Hoddle, Ossie Ardiles, Chris Waddle, and Clive Allen. While he left the club in October the following season he returned as caretaker manager on three separate occasions — 1998, 2001, and 2003. He clearly has a brilliant mind for the game, because there’s no other way you can stay associated with football for as long as he has.

He’s been an omnipresent part of Tottenham’s scouting operations over the years, and fans will probably know him best as the man chiefly responsible for identifying and bringing in Dele from MK Dons, as well as identifying Jan Vertonghen, Ben Davies, Jermain Defoe, and many others. Whatever other contributions he’s had for Spurs’ recruitment efforts, we’ll always have that.

Speaking on the club website, Pleat had this to say about his decision to step down:

“Football is my life and continues to be. Spurs has been a huge part of that. However the game and its methods change and it’s time for me to now step back from my scouting role. I look forward to watching the Club have great success in the coming years. I hope to continue my association with the game.”

—David Pleat

As fans, we can parse that statement however we want. It does seem to suggest that Spurs’ move to data-driven analysis and recruitment methods in recent years is a departure from Pleat’s skill-set, and fair enough! It’s no longer enough to just send an old, sharp football mind like Pleat to a bunch of games and say “pick us out a good lad, Pleatey” (though there’s clearly still a role for the “eye test” in modern scouting). Regardless, there does seem to be a sense encoded in Pleat’s remarks above that the game has moved on past him and it’s time to make way for people more comfortable with computers, advanced metrics, and data.

It’s hard to say whether stepping down is fully Pleat’s decision or whether the club decided they wanted to move in a different direction. Either could be the case, but it hardly matters. Pleat’s been a fantastic and long-standing part of the club and deserves recognition today for his years of service. Thanks, David.