Match report: Spurs 5 NS Mura 1 (I wasn’t impressed!)
The day started off well; I left home at 1.30 pm, got to Tottenham at 3.30, parked at Sainsbury’s for a while, and then popped into the spurs shop to buy the latest third kit and some other knickknacks and then to my parking place. In at 5pm and then got my programme. Food, drink and chat before the excitement began.
It took Harry Kane to come off the bench, along with Son and Moura, to kick the players out on the pitch up the arse before a tragedy took hold. But that didn’t impress me either. Why?
NŠ Mura, or simply Mura, is a Slovenian football team, and they were only founded in 2012. Yes, nearly 9 years ago, and they were up against a team that has a proud history (or did have a proud history until Levy took over) and was formed 139 years ago. They currently play in the Slovenian PrvaLiga, the top tier of Slovenian football. This is the first foray into European Football, albeit a lower league for European wishful thinkers who weren’t capable of getting into a proper European competition, just like Spurs.
Even with the team we had out there, we should have pissed all over them, but Tottenham being Tottenham, let them in after being 2-0 up, so Nuno got the wobbles and thought this is going to affect his standing, he then brought on the big guns (that made me laugh).
Yes, Harry Kane came off the bench to score a 20-minute hat-trick as we recorded our first Europa Conference – poor man – League win with victory over inferior quality opponents. A strong opponent out there would have run circles around us, just like Villa will do on Sunday unless we buck our ideas up.
It certainly has been a mixed start to the season, including a draw against Rennes. We should have dominated much more in the first half, but with poor passing and fluffing our lines, we couldn’t progress beyond 2 goals (without giving our opponents hope).
Panicking Nuno made nine changes after our north London derby defeat. Only Dele Alli and Sergio Reguilon keeping their places.
Alli opened the scoring on four minutes, drilling his penalty into the bottom-left corner after he was fouled by their goalkeeper. Lo Celso added a second six minutes later, collecting Harry Winks’ pass before driving the ball into the roof of the net. But our opponents, who had only had 32% possession and no shots on target in the first half, pulled a goal back eight minutes after the restart through a Ziga Kous volley; bloody fantastic!
You could see our opponents becoming more and more confident and more assertive as we seemed to wobble, so Nuno, who was 6th in the job offer for the Spurs job, was forced to turn to Kane, Son and Lucas Moura on 60 minutes. He was shitting himself… thinking, another dose of bad headlines would cause Levy to do his favourite war-dance over his lacklustre manager, as he had done with his previous victims.
Granted, It did not take long for the substitutes to have an impact.
Harry Kane is the first Spurs player to score a hat-trick as a substitute since Ronny Rosenthal v Southampton in the FA Cup in March 1995 (and yes, I was at that match). Rosenthal is often a guest at the Premium lounge nowadays.
Before Thursday’s game, Nuno tried to prep the press by saying that Mura would be a “tough opponent”, and low and behold, they did give us a scare on more than a few occasions.
Kane became the first player to score a hat-trick in the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League.
This victory against a bunch of cowboys leaves us at the top of a Micky Mouse tournament that no respectable, elite team would be seen dead in.
Ever since Levy took over, we’ve been on a rollercoaster of rides…. But this must be the lowest point under a general trying to orchestrate events from his lofty perch.
Thoughts
God help us against Villa on Sunday going by this performance and the previous ones. The manager who won the manager of the month award might be in for the Benny of the Month award for September. As for Levy, he will be doing what he does best, plotting for Nuno to trip over his shoelaces and into his web of nightmares.
But being Tottenham supporters, we must think positive; after all, that is all we’ve got left!
Before the game and after the match, I chatted to friends, staff, security ladies, and Premium members, all added up to one good evening. Oh, we mustn’t forget the free popcorn and cookies.
Capacity was 29,000. You couldn’t get a ticket for love or money at one time; now, they were offering tickets to non-members, giving some away free… even trying to force the homeless in with promises of free food and drink. Desperate times mean desperate measures.
Be safe, Glenn
My name is Glenn Renshaw.
I am currently a Premium Season Ticket holder (West Stand) in the new stadium. Before that – at White Hart Lane – a season ticket holder in various parts of the ground (mainly in the North stand).
Before becoming a season ticket holder, I stood on the shelf and various other parts of the ground since the 1950s. In 1987 I became one of the first to hold a Spurs Membership card. I was also a life long member of the Spurs supporters club (now defunct).
I go to all home, away and abroad matches.
I was born in 1955, Edgware, London (it was in the late 50s – as a baby – that my dad took me to Spurs to initiate me). I currently live in Berkshire.
I also collect all Spurs books (and have everyone printed), Spurs handbooks (from 1920s onwards, Spurs programmes (since the 40s).
Previously, I wrote for Spurs Fanzines: The Spur, Spur of the Moment, My Eyes have seen the Glory and various other Spurs fanzines’. I also wrote for the SpursWeb app & its website.
I currently write and work for spursnetwork.com and its website. I write its Reviews & Match reports and a lot more.
My other interests are; reading, history, social history, Politics, going to the gym, wine, going out for a meal, music (all sorts), writing, theatre, concerts, going on holidays, socialising etc.
I have been writing blogs/ articles since 1989
If you wish to read more of my blog, please click “here”
Well we need to get this super forward called counselling in pretty quick. We have the players just lack of commitment. But they don’t mind taking their 1000s a week for failing to turn up. I hope I am wrong but villa can and will beat us tomorrow. Hope I am proved wrong.
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With hindsight, we won… may it continue.