The Hoddle of Coffee: Tottenham Hotspur news and links for Tuesday, November 17

Hi, everyone!

At the top today is former Tottenham and Liverpool goalkeeper Ray Clemence, who died over the weekend aged 72. For more on Clemence, head to the bottom of the links.

Ramble of the Day

International breaks always feel like they lack football, which is definitely not the case but remains my feeling regardless. This feels like an appropriate fix for the football I’ve been searching for, but only in a way because this clearly isn’t football; to be more precise, it’s ice football.

This is a set of highlights from 2015, so don’t be alarmed by the spectators in the stadium. I stumbled upon this video a few days ago, because the magic of the internet means that one person finding something means others do, too.

I find it very funny that a sport that combines two fast-paced sports in football and hockey appears so slow. I completely understand why — you can’t dribble a ball on ice the same way you can on grass, and the hockey puck and actual skates make the speed of hockey faster. Still, it doesn’t lack for entertainment. It’s like a slow motion version of regular football, and it some retains the sport’s very captivating nature. I think the allure is that element of pure surprise and novelty. It’s fascinating.

tl;dr: Ice football is a thing, and while it’s slow, it’s fairly captivating.

Stay informed, read this: cricketer Megan Schutt on Australia’s Indigenous history and cricket’s position to confront racism for The Guardian

Links of the Day

Uruguay’s Luis Suárez, Egypt’s Mohamed Elneny, 16 Premier League players and staff, and Ecuador’s José Cifuentes tested positive for COVID-19.

The Gabon national team was forced to sleep on the floor of Banjul airport ahead of the team’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Gambia.

Actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney completed a takeover of fifth tier side Wrexham.

A longer read: Peter Mason’s obituary of Ray Clemence, one of England’s greatest and most respected goalkeepers for The Guardian
Supplmental content: The Guardian’s collection of Ray Clemence’s life in pictures