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Happy Thursday, Spurs fans! I'm in productivity mode at Ye Olde 9-to-5 right now, which for me means ironically that I listen to a lot of ambient and trance music on Pandora, Spotify, and iTunes. Why ambient music? Because ambient music is music that I can have on in the background and that doesn't require me to actively listen.
When you're a professional musician in your non-Spurs-bloggish life, like I am, you suddenly discover that certain aural patterns or combinations of sounds trip your attention like a dog when it sees a squirrel. 20 years of music study and work in the business means I can no longer NOT actively listen to Haydn symphonies or Beethoven piano sonatas – every time I try, I get wrenched out of my "work zone" when Beethoven does that false recapitulation at the end of the development section in the first movement of the Op. 10 No. 2 sonata. Know what I mean?
You have no idea what I mean. But that's okay.
But this is the kind of stuff I've been listening to a lot lately. And because of that, I'm Getting Stuff Done™.
And now, the "news"
Newcastle fans to organize "Ashley Out" boycott of Tottenham match - Daily Mail
I get the sentiment behind this, but let's remember that this same group of fans that want Ashley out were the same ones that organized the "Pardew Out" campaign. Newcastle is 2-3-7 since Alan Pardew left for Crystal Palace, giving them exactly what they wanted. Maybe they should organize a "Newcastle Fans Out" campaign next.
Spurs fans debate whether Nabil Bentaleb should be club captain - HITC
I suppose this is topical after Harry Kane was named captain against Burnley, but that was more because the other three club captains were either injured or absent, so why not give it to your best player? I'm putting myself on record as believing that the entire idea of "club captaincies" is dumb. Yes, teams need leaders. Yes, it's good to identify these leaders and reward them. But true captains will lead no matter if they wear an arm band or not. And Nabil Bentaleb is 20 years old. Let's give him a few years of seasoning before we anoint him with oil, yeah? Besides, Ledley is our captain, now and forever.
Stats don't lie: Harry Kane vs. Charlie Austin - Pundit Arena
Stats may not lie, but they do mislead when cherry-picked and used as the basis of ridiculous comparisons that end up in dumb "statistics" football articles. Somewhere from the cell in the Cartilage Free Captain basement where we keep him locked up, Michael Caley is howling.
Tottenham back in for Adrien Rabiot? - Three and In
I'm calling it right now: Adrien Rabiot is the new Leandro Damiao.
When in Roma: Money alone won't get you anywhere with Italy's obsessive soccer culture. - SB Nation
Another fantastic long-form soccer article from the good folks at SB Nation Soccer. Read it.