The Hoddle of Coffee: Tottenham Hotspur News and Links for Monday, November 1

Hello, everyone!

If you’re looking for a little distraction today, here you go.

Ramble of the Day

Who knew we’d return to the Land of Manager on the Verge of Getting Sacked so soon? I didn’t set out to ask so many questions, but while we’re here, I have to ask:

I honestly have no idea, but if I had to take a guess, I’d guess that he’s gone before the Vitesse match on Thursday. I have to imagine a lot depends on who takes charge right away — as an interim manager or a long-term hire. We’ll all find out soon enough.

If you’re interested, I will now offer some thoughts. Predicting exact moments are fairly difficult, and especially so over the last two years at Tottenham. It has been a significantly tumultuous period at Spurs — Espírito Santo is now the third manager in that time to go through at least one news cycle about his possible firing. It has been pretty remarkable to watch a lot of worst-case scenarios play out, even with some changing variables.

Something like that requires a serious amount of dysfunction, I’d argue. I’d also argue that if you introduce that level of dysfunction into a given situation, you’re also inviting a little bit of humor at your expense. In the very specific news cycle that precedes a manager’s sacking, I always find it funny when outlets, reliable or otherwise, identify the moment a leadership group decided to fire a manager. The following caused me to burst into laughter, and I couldn’t tell you if it’s funnier if it’s true or false:

It’s important to laugh so you don’t cry!

tl;dr: Our old friend, the news cycle preceding a manager’s sacking, has returned.

Stay informed, read this: Adam Kilgore and Chelsea Janes on MLB’s Atlanta Braves and a culture of dehumanizing Indigenous peoples in the US for The Washington Post

Links of the Day

Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha received racist abuse on social media over the weekend.

The NWSL and the Players Association reached an agreement on the PA’s demands to combat a culture of abuse.

Ex-England international Kieron Dyer is in need of a liver transplant.

Barcelona’s Sergio Agüero was went to the hospital after complaining of chest pains during the team’s match against Alavés,

Inter said it will let Christian Eriksen leave after the Italian FA’s technical science committee ruled he could not play with his ICD.

NWSL’s Kansas City club unveiled its identity, and is officially the Kansas City Current.

Everton women hired Jean-Luc Vasseur as the team’s new manager.

A longer read: Paul Doyle interviews ex-France international Lilian Thuram on his latest book and why people of color should not solely bear the burden of ending racism for the Guardian