Mails: Tottenham are put in their place…
Date published: Wednesday 5th October 2016 10:18
If you don’t mail, there won’t be a Wednesday afternoon mailbox. Send thoughts to theeditor@football365,com
Is it okay not to hate anybody?
Looking at all the Liverpool vs Spurs ‘thoughts’ in yesterday’s mails made me realise something.
As fans of teams we are told, even expected, to hate our rivals. Not just to dislike them with a stern zeal, but truly despise everything they stand for. In some cases this is in full effect. Celtic and Rangers’ are a prime example.
But, in particular the Premier League teams seem to have lost their ability to truly loathe their local rivals. I don’t know if it’s just fans (or just myself) jaded at the sight of broadcasters trying to throw some fuel to the fire, when in fact there appears to be none.
I would goes as far to say I like Everton, I respect their morals and values as they attempt to try and maintain their reputation as a ‘family’ club in an era when football clubs are being run purely on the basis of profit. Examples like when a few weeks back when they donated money to that sick Sunderland fan.
But hey, maybe I’m just a foreign fan who doesn’t go to games every week and doesn’t appreciate the finer details in a local rivalry that has spanned generations. Bloody foreigners eigh?
Aaron (Formed all my match tickets into a symbolic “I’m a far superior fan than you” hat) Drogheda
Erm, what have you won Tottenham?
I normally have a few chuckles when I read about rivals having a dig at each other but in response to Ross THFC ‘Have Spurs overtaken Liverpool?, my answer is no and they never will. Granted you have finished consistently above us in the league but the bottom line is that Spurs don’t contest finals and besides a League Cup win in recent years, what have Spurs actually achieved? You finished above us in the league and in Europe you fail miserably whereas Liverpool have the history in Europe and never write us off as we always can surprise people by getting to a final which last year showed. You will never win the Champions League so get back down off your high horse. We will and still will always be a bigger team than you and that won’t change. If you are going to keep finishing above us in the league, then you better have something to back it up.
Finishing above Liverpool isn’t going to bring you the most coveted trophy of them all ‘The finishing above Liverpool winners trophy’. I actually like Spurs but this kind of talk actually makes me hate them more. I will be rejoicing with very Arsenal supporter this season when we laugh at Spurs falling from first to third again.
Darragh Martin (Now I got this rant out of the way, I’m back doing real typing work) Limerick
…As a Liverpool fan, I must say that I agree with Ross THFC’s sentiments on the Liverpool-Spurs rivalry. This is only a (relatively) recent state and I can’t help but think it must have started some time around 2010.
Yes Spurs are the superior team, and have been for probably six or seven seasons, apart from the nearly year for Liverpool. But this is the thing about Spurs, probably one of the best teams you have ever had was the one from last season and you still managed to come third in a two-horse race. Since 2010 what have you won?
Admittedly Spurs could well win the PL this season and hats off to them if they do, I prefer them over most of the other big teams. But for the moment you’ve won nothing, so you can hold onto the superiority.
Cian LFC
…It makes me laugh this Spurs/Liverpool rivalry thing, it really does. It’s nonsensical how Spurs fans are so obsessed with this “we’ve finished above Liverpool for six of the last seven seasons” thing.
Well done lads, you’ve finished above Liverpool a few times during one of the worst spells in the club’s history. Woo hoo. Seriously guys, it’s ridiculous, a bit like bragging about being better looking than Iain Dowie. You need to get over it.
Also, can I just ask, how many trophies have you actually won in that time? Or did I miss the part where they started handing out trophies for finishing above Liverpool?
And this thing about people losing their sh*t over bookies odds. BOOKIES ODDS for christ sake! Honest to God, who cares! Like bookies odds have any effect over what happens on the pitch! I remember Daniel Storey saying it was time for a long walk in the woods when we had transfer rumours based on Football Manager. That is exactly how I felt when I saw Spurs fans kicking off over bookies odds. Get a grip fellas…
Anyway, rant over. For what it’s worth I don’t actually mind Spurs. For me they are an example of how a club should be run properly if you are planning for long-term success and I think Pochettino is an outstanding manager. I also actually think they will win the title this year. I just don’t get why their fans are constantly banging on about Liverpool. I mean, if we are so sh*t and beneath you then surely you’ve got bigger fish to fry, no?
PG, LFC
…Why do Liverpool and Tottenham fans hate each other. Because of people like Ross THFC.
Tottenham (two titles, 8 domestic cups, 0 real Euro trophies, 3 inferior ones) are apparently superior to Liverpool (18 titles, 15 domestic cups, 5 real Euro trophies, 6 inferior ones) . Go figure. Scott also says Beyonce is inferior looks wise to his Mum.
Jo LFC
Please can we call a truce?
I’m getting in touch as I’d genuinely like to see an end to the Liverpool – Spurs beef.
I’ve got a season ticket at The Lane so I obviously love my team. But I’ve always had admiration for Liverpool. Growing up watching those amazing teams of the ’80s and then the not so good ones of the ’90s. Owen scoring two against the Gooners for that cup final win. Winning 18 trophies in one season. One night in Istanbul and then easily my favourite goal scored by a non – Spurs player…Gerrard’s last minute equaliser against West Ham (new stadiums working out well then) to deny them the cup a week after lasagnegate.
I went to university in Liverpool, stood on the kop and watched them beat Leeds 3 – 0. Hamman, Berger, Murphy. All screamers. It was wicked, great atmosphere.
I’m not sure where this bickering is coming from. We’re not Chelsea, hating on Benitez and holding up the stupid Gerrard signs. We’ve got a bit more class than that.
So come on lads…let’s increase the peace and get back to hating those we’re meant to hate.
Andrew, Woodford Green
Is there a rivalry? I had no idea
In response to Ross THFC’s Mail regarding the supposed rivalry between Spurs and Liverpool, is it really fair to claim something as a rivalry just because someone on social media threw a few sparks and for a while it caught fire?
I’m not on Twitter, the alleged origin of said rivalry, so was blissfully unaware that Liverpool fans are at war with the white side of north London. As a Liverpool fan I do wish I was told sooner as I know a few Spurs fans and, had such information been passed on in a timely manner, I would have duly rolled up my sleeves, had me a good old Google session and waded into the argument armed with a flurry of loose statistics with which to down my opponent.
It seems this joyful opportunity has passed me over. The disappointment is strong, so naturally I’m now compelled to ask: Is there a place where I can be informed of when I’m meant to be angry at a club because they are now our rivals? Is there also a place where I can be updated on whatever a fellow fan has thrown out and is now seen as the shared belief of all fans of that team? Oh, it’s Twitter, isn’t it? Now I remember why I don’t use it.
I wish Spurs the best of luck, and hope they make it into the top four and beyond as their current football is thrilling. This is, of course, as long as it doesn’t get in the way of Liverpool becoming Champions of the Universe. If it does, then you lot are entitled, probably don’t have your own scouts and will never be a big team.
Nick LFC
Typical Arsenal?
This may be a bit off-topic now as international week falls upon us but I’m sick of hearing of the phrase ‘typical Arsenal’. Throughout our winning run I kept hearing that it will be typical Arsenal for the winning run to finish against whoever is next. This will continue until we do drop points where people will say “I knew they’d end up doing that. Typical Arsenal”. When we were beating small teams I heard “yeah, that’s typical Arsenal, beating the minnows. Let’s see how they do against Chelsea”. They beat Chelsea and I then predictably hear “it would be typical Arsenal now to drop points against Basel (later Burnley) after doing so well against Chelsea”. How can two very different ways of dropping points be typical Arsenal? With the exception of Liverpool dropping points against minnows, when other teams drop points against minnows or giants I don’t think I hear this ‘typical’ phrase.
I also always hear typical Arsenal with regards to finishing a season yet they have tended to finish the season in two very different ways in the last 10 years. 1) They are in the title race, have a terrible February and March and then slip out of the title race (2008, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2016) 2) They are struggling to qualify for the CL hovering around 5th but pull it together in the last 2 months with a very good run to just make it (usually at the expense of Spurs) (2006, 2007, 2012, 2013). Yet, these two very different finishes to a season are ‘typical Arsenal’!
Johnny, Donegal
More on Sutton, Savage and co
Chris Sutton is beyond comprehension. He should have no public platform to voice his (abhorrent) opinions. I seldom use the term ‘hate’ because rarely do I hate anyone. To me, you have to actively hate someone rather than disliking them. Chris Sutton has convinced me to change my own mantra.
Bob Bradley has way more managerial experience than Ryan Giggs. Granted, the American connection might have gotten his foot into the door, but it didn’t get him the job. The fact that he was better than the other candidates got him the job. To complain that he’s not British, and doesn’t know the Premier League is utterly idiotic. Everyone loves to claim how the Premier League is the best league in the world, that it attracts all the best players and managers from around the world, yet those very people who sing its praises, complain about the main attraction; that it attracts the best from all over the world! This is not to say that Bob Bradley is the best manager in the world, nor one of the best (I have no idea where he would fall on that spectrum, or how to even measure it) but rather this is a manager who has worked his way up from the bottom in a managerial career that has spanned longer than Ryan Giggs’ playing career. Does he not deserve his chance to test himself among the best?
Ryan Giggs may be a top, top manager one day (I personally don’t think he will for a few reasons), but he needs to show that he can be one first. Throwing him into the deep end might teach him how to swim, but then again, he could just as easily drown. (And then start bitching like a certain someone because he is being considered a failure even though he failed) He needs to earn his stripes, (does he even have all his badges?) and prove to the world that he has what it takes to be a great manager, because being a great player in your day isn’t (or shouldn’t be) enough.
And finally, I hope Chris is reading this, because if we were to only give jobs to those who have Premier League experience, then the three most successful managers to ever manage in the league would never have gotten their jobs. None of them were great (good?) players, and never tried themselves in English football, yet here we are. So Chris, do us all a favour and get the f*#k off the radio!
Neill, (How many minority managers got interviewed or is that not a thing anymore?), Ireland
…’Steve Bruce should get the Villa job because he “lives in the area of Birmingham” ‘ – Robbie Savage
Need I say more? Give this man a medal!
Sridhar (DillyDing DillyDong) Iyer
Giggs too good for Cardiff?
How come Ryan Giggs wasn’t considered for the Cardiff job? Are the little Englanders quiet cos the job is going to an Englishman? Or does Ryan consider his vast management experience too good for a non-Premier League team?
Malc, Leeds
British managers go straight into top jobs
Ed picked up on an interesting point made by Steven Chicken around British managers getting a fast track and they thinking they know it all.
Because I am in a rubbish meeting I thought I would have a look at the lists of top managers and their management history before getting their ‘major management job’ (obviously this is subjective). Here’s the list:
Foreign
Arsene Wenger – Nancy, AS Monaco, Nagoya, Arsenal
Jose Mourinho – Porto (Assistant), Barcelona (Assistant), Benefica (Assistant), Uniāo, Porto
Louis VG- AZ (Assistant), Ajax (Assistant), Ajax
Ancelotti – Reggiana, Parma, Juventus
Klopp – Mainz, Dortmund
Benitez – Real Madrid B, Valladolid, Osasuna, Extremadura, Tenerife, Valencia, Liverpool
Emery – Lorca Deportiva, Almeria, Valencia, Spartak Moscow, Sevilla
Hiddink – PSV, Fenerbahce, Valencia, Netherlands
Lowe – FC Winterthur (Youth), Frauenfeld, Stuttgart (Assistant), Stuttgart, Fenerbahce, Karlsruher, Adanaspor, Tirol, Austria Wien, Germany
Conte – Arezzo, Bari, Atalanta, Siena, Juventus
British
Dalglish – Liverpool
Rodgers – Chelsea (Youth), Watford, Reading, Swansea
Moyes – Preston, Everton
Allardyce – Limerick, Preston, Blackpool, Bolton
Pardew – Reading, West Ham, Charlton, Southampton
Nigel Adkins – Bangor, Scunthorpe, Southampton
Ferguson – East Stirlingshire, St Mirren, Aberdeen, Scotland, Utd
Giggs – Man Utd (Assistant), United/Swansea (was expected)
Eddie Howe – Bournemouth, Burnley, Bournemouth
There is a clear difference on average in the two groups. Foreign managers typically have an average of around five clubs whereas British managers who get to “major jobs” typically had three jobs each on average. I didn’t have time to do the maths on the year but as I scanned Wikipedia they were fairly even, if slightly longer in favour of foreign managers.
What does this mean? Not a lot really, except that typically foreign managers are more likely to do the hard graft at lower league clubs than British ones and reach the top of the game.
Rob A (it is Dalglish and Liverpool’s fault?) AFC
The in-form England squad
Here we go, Ant, CPFC, this is your England squad based on form (Whoscored.com).
GK
Pickford 7.16
Heaton 6.88
Hart 6.84
RB
Walker 7.40
Adam Smith 7.17
LB
Rose 7.61
Milner 7.45
CB
Davies 7.66
Dann 7.53
Jaglieka 7.24
Stones 7.00
CM
Puncheon 7.61
Henderson 7.40
Barry 7.34
Lallana 7.26
LW
Sterling 7.63
Townsend 7.50
RW
Walcott 7.52
Zaha 7.40
Forwards
Deeney 7.25
Kane 7.13
Austin 6.88
ROONEYYYYYYY 6.83
Looks fair enough to me.
Ray, Manila (merits of whoscored.com’s average rating system can be discussed another time)
From the heart…
I’ve written in a few times, and got a good 75% publishing record and all that jazz, but this is something not really Mourinho, formations, Transfer or Icon related. This is more from the heart. And like most things from the heart, I don’t really give a sh*t if it’s published because it’s for you guys.
I came across your site several years ago. My life was way different back then, a different season if you may. It was nice to read through every now and then, but I’d go through several weeks without even checking in. Life was good, life was normal. And football, was secondary.
Since then, life has been a damn rollercoaster. Ups, and a f***kload of downs. Nothing seemed to work out, new ventures failed, and stuff I expected to work out, simply never did. Pretty much like my teams (Man Utd) fortunes lately. I realized though, only this morning, that the one thing that’s been a constant through these turbulent times, has been Football365. I wake up, and read everything there is to read, even s**t I don’t care about. I wait for a phone call that never comes, now for months, and when it doesn’t, I switch to F365 to forget about the world for a while. I haven’t watched an entire game in a while, for lack of a subscription, or my own place, but do watch highlights. (Uncapped wi-fi is one of the highs of my gutter life at the moment.) And then check in to read 16 conclusions, or mails, and once again, have my five minutes of forgetting about the world and my problems for a while. And for a moment, life is back where it used to be.
I do read soccernet, bleacher report, and goal.com but no other site has quite caught me like you guys do. Some specific articles, or words, like the article on Rashford a couple of months ago, stuck, and I saved several bits to read about later. To me, it not just sports journalism, but literature. It is amazing how you manage to churn out amazing journalism and words, on a daily basis, and keep going.
So in the end, this is for you guys. Things will look up soon, that I am certain of. Thank you for being there, albeit unknowingly, in times when I needed not only a distraction, but an escape. Perhaps you do it to pay the bills, but so does everyone else. What separates you from the rest is the passion with which you write. A f***king passion. The Mailbox contributions too, are simply brilliant, and I almost do not feel bad the few times my articles haven’t made it. Simply because the ones on there are way better. I absolutely love your website, and I am writing this soon after reading through everything on the home page because I have nothing better to do but wait.
Lastly, once again. Thank you. The team, the contributors, even the facebook commenters. You make this website what it is, and you don’t need a million or a billion readers to be successful. Or special. You just need to make a difference. To one random guy.
Stig, MUFC
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