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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

We've got some of the best players in the world in Kane and Bellingham. Add Saka and Gordon, and that's a quality forward line. Anderson is superb but I think Scott has a chance to elevate the midfield. Defence is the worry.

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Just watching the England game back as I was out earlier. Alex Scott looks to the manor born. We could have saved ourselves 50m and got him (a Spurs fan) instead of Tonali.

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Watching Spurs play lovely football and score a hat full of goals…I could get used to this. #COYS

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Why did I watch MOTD? I'm not sure what I was expecting. For Shearer to say Spurs were unlucky? For the highlights to somehow look better than I remembered? It was worse. Our defending was weak against a very average Villa side. 😭

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

I don't think it’s unpopular; he was good today. I think the problem is that he's quite similar to Bentancur, and Bentancur is in good form, but our ideal midfield is probably Fernandes plus one of those two, with Maddison/Deki/Simons at 10.

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

The eye test would suggest that Spurs aren't as bad as their position/results show. I mean, they're not good, but I don't think they're awful either. I don't know how indicative xThreat is, but this fits more with what I'm seeing. It's just a lack of composure and confidence letting us down.

xThreat table for the 26/27 Premier League season so far.

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

I think if we can sustain the good periods long enough to build a lead, things could change quickly. We haven't yet seen how we play once we're ahead, but we should be quite well equipped to control games. Mentality is clearly an issue, but confidence will grow if we can get some wins.

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Oh good. Coventry above us in the league as it stands.

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

In the pre-match press conference, someone asked De Zerbi about the psychologist the club employed over the summer. He said he didn't know anything about it. I think he should probably look into it.

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

I think we might have the answer to both now.

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

We've been so sloppy in the final third today. Poor touches, silly offsides, wayward crossing, and a general lack of precision. It feels like those things will come, the question is when.

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Just what F1 needs - another track where it's impossible to overtake. 🥱

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

I think he’ll play again; the question is how the injury has affected him. If we can get him back to 100%, he can be our most important player. We lack physicality, he can bring that. I genuinely think he's the perfect 10 for De Zerbi, combining creativity, ball retention, physicality and pressing.

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

We have 3 strong options for our 2 CM slots, with Bergvall and Gray as excellent backups. Our defence looks more solid with every game. I really think the missing link is a genuine 10. Maddison will improve us, but I really think Deki could be transformational.

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

We were ok today, an incremental improvement. I saw some patterns building, but you're right that we still need a few games until it clicks. Based on the last couple of games, I'm still confident it will. A proper 10 will knit it all together. Maddison will make us good; Deki could make us great.

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Today was fairly shit, but there were some positives. We looked really good in the first half. We showed signs of building patterns, especially a few lovely interchanges through midfield that got us into the final 3rd. Our depth looks great; we’re just waiting for a lot of players to build fitness.

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

I don't mind that. It wasn't overly aggressive; he was just explaining where he wants Tel to do better. It's hard to argue that Tel doesn't need coaching to improve because he clearly has some talent. Hopefully, De Zerbi can improve this front line because if he can't, we’re in trouble.

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

It feels like we're improving everywhere apart from the final third. Any Man City fan will tell you Savio lacks end product; we know all too well that Tel does too. I think bringing in a proper 10 could unlock it all. Hopefully Maddison soon, but I'm really excited about Deki in this team.

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Yeah, the 10 area is clearly the missing piece at the moment. I'd love to see a fit Kulusevski playing there at some point. His combination of physicality, creativity, and vision could unlock this team.

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Nothing too special yet but I can see patterns building. Quite a few times we've played a few quick bounce passes through the midfield to release the wingers in to space, only for poor decision making to let us down.

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

I don't think so. We've played some good football today, but we look rusty up front. That's understandable, given how many are either new or not fully fit yet.

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Agreed. I wasn't talking about ability, only current form.

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Ok. I've personally seen more from Fernandes so I'd have him above Tonali. Don't like him as a 10 though. I'm not one of these people that doesn't rate Tonali, far from it. My point was more about how good Bentancur has been.

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

It's all relative. Compared to what we've seen at home over the last couple of years, it was very promising. Feels like something to build on, at least.

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

If you were ranking our current midfield 3 for the season so far, he'd be last. That's not to say he's been bad, just a little underwhelming. He's been decent today, and I'm sure he’ll be an important player for us. Bentancur just looks sharper right now.

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

I'm not sure that's fair. That was a good 45 minutes. With some better decisions in the final 3rd, we'd probably be ahead. It's a brand new front 3 so it will take time to build relationships.

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Tonali’s relatively slow start this season probably looks worse because Bentancur is playing so well. He's been excellent again so far today.

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Buying good footballers might actually work. We should do it more often.

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Most of us, me included, got carried away with all the new signings & expected us to be suddenly back at the top table. I think all we can expect at this stage is incremental improvements as understanding develops & players get match fit. I'm still confident because we have some very good players.

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

There’s such a lack of patience with some fans at the moment. We all wanted a better start, but the reality is that this is a team with many new players, a new manager, and a less-than-ideal preseason. I still have some concerns, but Tel isn't one of them.

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Decision making is easier when you have more options. Tel is playing in a dysfunctional front line at the moment. If and when the team is more fluid, Tel, and others will look better.

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

True, I’d forgotten that. That in itself is another example of what I always understood Spursy to be. Winning the EL and then sacking the manager. To me it’s not about just being shit, it’s about actually being good but ultimately finding a way of messing it up.

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Agreed. I don’t use it really but I don’t think it used to be such an insult a few years ago. This is an interesting article on it: archive.is/2024.12.06-0...

archive.is

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

I also think Spursy has somehow come to simply mean shit. The most Spursy thing I always think about is going a whole season unbeaten at White Hart Lane and then knocking it down a few days later. It should be more about snatching defeat from the jaws of victory rather than just an insult.

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

I maintain that Ndombele was a victim of timing more than anything else. He was definitely more of a Poch player than a Mourinho one. It encapsulates two of Levy’s biggest mistakes - not backing Poch earlier, and appointing Mourinho…and also not backing him sufficiently.

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

I'm not against the Mudryk signing; it could be some very shrewd business if De Zerbi can get him back to his best. I guess the point is, it's a gamble. So we could have also gambled on 1 or 2 prospects from outside the PL, like Brighton, Brentford, Bournemouth, etc., all do with great success.

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Imagine the meltdown if they had been our first two signings! It's a very valid point though. If we’d been told before the window opened that we’d get this many expensive signings, we'd have been over the moon. The first 2 results have taken the shine off, but the 1st team & squad is improved.

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

As with most decisions over recent years, it feels like an overcorrection. Given the huge revamp required, I can understand the preference for PL experience. In theory, it shortens the adaptation period. But 1 or 2 savvy signings from outside the PL would have been preferable to Mudryk, for example.

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Our final 2 signings may be a little underwhelming, but I'm choosing to be positive. Whilst I'd rather have kept big Kev, Tosin is an OK last-minute backup, & his ability on the ball feels more like a De Zerbi CB. Mudryk is a big gamble but has potential & being a loan + option mitigates the risk.

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Tosin seems like a fairly sensible option, albeit a downgrade on Danso. We’ll miss his physicality. Mudryk, on the other hand, is mental. I can see the De Zerbi link, but it's a huge gamble and a massive step down from Gakpo or Ndiaye. He surely can't be our 3rd option after those two?!

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

I mean, I’m not sure adding another player who hasn’t played for over a year is really that sensible anyway. Kudus, Maddison, and Kulusevski will likely need a long time to regain full match fitness, so paying Chelsea to add a 4th to that list seems madness…so it will probably happen.

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Looks like Mudryk could be a tricky deal.

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Ndiaye would be great, a big upgrade on Tel. Our attacking options would be superb…apart from at 9. If Solanke gets injured, which is likely, Marmoush isn’t a long-term option as a lone striker. Add Danso’s situation, & we could be 2/3 injuries away from disaster. www.nytimes.com/athletic/733...

nytimes.com

Tottenham reach agreement to sign Iliman Ndiaye, sell Richarlison back to Everton (Gift Article)

Ndiaye had also been the subject of interest from Man City, who are in talks over a move for Spurs target Cody Gakpo.

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

I've said it for a while, but Itauma is special.

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Yeah, there has to be an element of that otherwise De Zerbi wouldn't have called it out publicly.

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Whenever people talk to me about “Spursy”, I always think about this. In 2017, we were unbeaten at home for the first time in 52 years and only the 4th time ever. We knocked the stadium down a few days later.

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Birdy @markbirdy.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

He managed it with Bergvall, so I hope you’re right. Wait until January and see how many minutes you've played; promising to let him leave if he's still unhappy seems sensible. Or I hope they saw this coming and have transfers in and out already lined up.

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