The Hoddle of Coffee: Tottenham Hotspur news and links for Tuesday, September 18

Hello, Hoddlers!

I’ve written so many Hoddles that my instinct upon beginning any article is to start with a salutation.

Ramble of the Day

With the start of this season’s edition of the Champions League and Europa League, we’ve started one of those glorious weeks where there is some European football to watch on each day of the week, grouped with whatever other football you like. Yesterday, the Premier League offered up a 2-2 draw between Southampton and Brighton, where the visitors donned some really nice kits.

Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images

That’s a terrific shade of green. Nike steered clear of all of the shades of green that look garish outside of the very specific situations they are found in, and actually picked a color that is probably universally nice. It is not unlike a few of Nike’s other football kits, particularly those found in international football.

A nice green kit, though, is a bit hard to find in the club game. Lost in the sea of reds, blues, and whites are rich greens. There have plenty of good ones out there over the years, but Brighton’s might be my favorite. I love the contrast with the white shorts, and even with the blue of the crest.

Now that I think about it, there should probably be a few other colors that are more commonly used for kits. I’m glad Tottenham’s many kit manufacturers over the last several years have embraced using purple as for away or third kit, and more people should do it.

Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images

The yellow details on this kit were a very nice addition, which reminds me that there should also probably be more yellow kits, too. There are some famous ones, like Borussia Dortmund, who wear a wonderful shade of yellow. Off the top of my head, though, my personal favorite is still the yellow of Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew. It’s just so bright, and looks great in an almost monochromatic fashion.

Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

For all of the compliments I’ve dished out to the many unrepresented colors of the rainbow, I cannot say that I like orange kits all that much. I will wait for one to change my mind, but until then, I don’t really recommend it. From the idea to the execution, I cannot say that I’m a fan.

One more color-related hot take before I go: There is the potential for a great pink kit out there. Manchester United’s red sock got mixed in with the while laundry away kit is not it, and I am unsure there has been a great, or good one, yet.

tl;dr: Colors are awesome.

Links of the Day

Frank Lampard was the first coach in the Football League to receive a red card, being sent to the stands during Derby County’s 1-0 loss to Rotherham over the weekend.

West Ham midfielder Jack Wilshere will miss six weeks after undergoing ankle surgery.

N’Golo Kanté met a few fans at a mosque and had dinner with them after missing a train from London to Paris this weekend.

Today’s longer read: Ruth Michaelson reports on Egyptian stadiums being opened for fans six years after the Port Said riot for The Guardian