THE SPECIAL - Spurs Away

Tottenham Hotspur v Newcastle United, Tottenham Stadium, 4/Jan/24, KO: 12:30pm, Premier League.

Jan 04, 2025

It’s the start of a new era at the Tottenham Stadium today. Thomas Tuchel, the newly appointed England manager, will be in the posh seats at our game with Spurs in his first public appearance since his contract begun.

From a Newcastle United perspective, Tuchel will have a lot to see. The blonde bombshell pairing of Lewis Hall and Antony Gordon down our left-side are bound to catch the German’s eye. I expect both will make it into his first squad when it is named.

Similarly, should he be selected Tino Livramento at right-back is also going to be of great interest to Tuchel. It would come as no surprise were Livramento to be in Tuchel’s first squad too. If Kieran Trippier makes the cut today, Tuchel will reflect ruefully upon the Three Lions’ stalwart’s recent international retirement.

Those four players are England’s future and past and it isn’t often we’ve had such a representation from Newcastle United and especially not so during the joyless Mike Ashley era.

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TF Preview - Spurs (a)

Happy New Year! Newcastle United’s first game of 2025 takes us all the way down to London, to face Tottenham Hotspur at their shiny stadium…

6 months ago · 10 likes · 6 comments · True Faith

Some might snort but there’s a fifth player who should be in the running for an England cap and that is Blyth’s own stout yeoman of the guard, Dan Burn.

Burn doesn’t look like an international player, he doesn’t have pundits singing his praises and he’s not going to be favoured by the football hipster fraternity with all the talk of transitions, inverted full-backs, xGs and all of that mumbo-jumbo. But Burn has been consistently one of the best English central defenders in the Premier League this season and I’d make him overall, our best performer. Let’s have a heated debate.

He may not get the attention of Guimarães, Gordon, Isak, Tonali or even his fellow defenders, but the Northumbrian has been outstanding for us. I’d love to see him get some recognition internationally however unlikely that is to be.

Anyway, that’s England ... not Newcastle United and what you are here for.

We’re en-route to Spurs full of confidence following an exceptional night’s fun at Old Trafford. After forty years of trips to Man U away, I’ve at last seen us win in the league having missed the 0-1 game (Cabaye) under Pardew for family reasons. There I go making it all about me.

That win came on the back of wins over Villa, Brentford, Ipswich and Leicester. Chests are puffed out, faces are smiling and there’s a Geordie swagger about the place.

Although I baulk at over-confidence or arrogance, there is no reason why we shouldn’t back ourselves against the Londoners. Concentration, perspiration and a bit of inspiration might do the trick in North London today.

We could have done without the Schar suspension but shit happens and these are the challenges Eddie Howe has to overcome.

The expectation is Lloyd Kelly will come in for Fabian. Whether that means Burn will switch to the right-side of the central defensive pairing or Kelly will go like for like for Schar remains to be seen.

It’s beyond annoying both right-sided Lascelles and Krafth are unavailable. Maybe we should have signed a right-sided central defender in the summer … oh, we’ve had that conversation already haven’t we?

Not that Spurs are without their problems either but all of that is covered in Grace Laidler’s excellent match preview which I’d encourage you to read, when you’ve finished this old toffee.

Our strength rests in a midfield which we all hope has clicked after the frustrations of earlier this season. The trio of Joelinton-Guimarães-Tonali ran the show at Old Trafford on Monday night gone as it had done v (admittedly a 10-man) Villa on Boxing Day.

This is a tougher test but I’ll be bold enough to suggest Eddie Howe is a better coach than Ange Postecoglu and for all the financial advantage Spurs have over us, we’ll have a better side out on the park than Tottenham. Daniel Levy, Spurs Dark Lord and Cartel baron, of the super-villain aura, will have clocked that I’m sure.

Our challenge is to transform our quality into a win and come back up the road with three lovely points. Hopefully we can start consolidating our PL position at the top end as opposed to be in fifth as a novelty.

It is coincidental we are visiting Tottenham at a time when there’s a collective pissing of pants about what is going to happen with either an extension and renovation to St James’ Park or relocation to a new stadium.

I make the Tottenham stadium the best in the UK and do not buy into some of the grumbling about it being a soulless bowl. It is an impressive arena holding 60,000 and if we can get anywhere near that quality or better, surpass it, with an additional capacity, then I’d be delighted.

It is cash generator for Spurs being able to host multiple events not least of which the corporate coin it brings into the club. If we were to get anything similar, not only would it be beneficial for United it would have significant economic benefits for Newcastle and the wider city-region.

Hopefully we’ll hear something soon.

Demand for tickets at United continues to go through the roof but no matter what the clamour to get into St James’ Park, it isn’t a betrayal to suggest the numbers trying to get into Anfield are greater given Liverpool’s huge international and glory-hunting support, established over many trophy winning years.

I read this piece in The Athletic regards ticket touting and links to organised crime gangs and couldn’t help think about the future of Newcastle United if we continue our rise (albeit slower than we expected due to the glass ceiling of PSR). Apologies if you don’t have a subscription to The Athletic but this is a good read ... you’ll find a way if you want to ...

Ahead of the Man Utd game, I recommended listening to the Football Heritage Podcast’s pod on the story of Belfast Celtic. I should have included reference to a couple of books about the now sadly defunct West Belfast club so here they are now ...

If you don’t fancy shelling out for those books, you could distract yourself by having a gander at the Belfast Celtic site:

And the Football Heritage Pod is here if you are so interested and missed the previous issue of THE SPECIAL –

And here is another one I’ve listened to which I think some of you might like – the story of the Edinburgh Derby – Hearts and Hibs

Another football book that has made its way to my shelves is Roaring Red Front by Stewart McGill and Vince Raison. I dipped into it before Christmas but have been distracted by food, drink and the great form of Newcastle United ... but it was good so hopefully I’ll find some space to get it read before the month is out