The Hoddle of Coffee: Tottenham Hotspur News and Links for Tuesday, December 12

Hey, Hoddle people!

Your newest Hoddler-in-Chief has returned, but let’s talk about someone else’s return instead.

Ramble of the Day

As I’m sure many of you know by this point, Victor Wanyama has returned to training. That was not the best Wanyama-related thing to happen in the last few days, though.

The details, if you do not already have them: Tottenham (and Wanyama) supporters organized a procession for the midfielder because he has been injured for so long. The event took place in Machakos, Kenya before Spurs’ 5-1 demolishing of Stoke (which I have yet to watch since I was out of town).

In the past, I have been critical of such dramatic gestures for injured players. Remember when David Luiz and Julio Cesar held Neymar’s jersey ahead of their semifinal match against Germany at the 2014 World Cup? I was one of the haters, shouting at my television to stop acting like Neymar died (and then also saying they did an awful job of honoring his legacy after they were thrashed 7-1).

The Wanyama procession, though, I absolutely love. Perhaps I’m getting softer as I get older, or maybe I’m just embracing the silliness of life more. It is possible that these supporters went so far in the “injured player as dead person hole,” I have to respect it. I wish I was there this weekend to see the spectacle because there may be nothing like it ever again, and also because the high was 25°C/77°F on Saturday in Machakos, and not below freezing and snowing heavily like it was in Washington, DC, where I was for the weekend. Plus, look at those t-shirts with “Team #BigVic” on the back! (I kind of want one of those!)

On the way back from my nation’s capital, my older sister asked which player I would participate in a procession for. I said that we may have to organize one for Toby Alderweireld, depending on how those upcoming scans go. (I hope no one has to organize it, but I will try to be there in case there is.) Anyway, I now turn the question to you, should you choose to answer it.

Now, for those links.

Links of the Day

Managerial beef of the day: Louis van Gaal said José Mourinho’s style of play is “far more boring” than his own.

Sam Allardyce is going to ask players if they want to be a part of the club’s future. From there, he will decide who to keep and who to sell.

Diego Maradona has a bronze statue of his own that looks nothing like him, located in Kolkata, India for some reason.