The Hoddle of Coffee: Tottenham Hotspur news and links for Friday, April 9

Hello, all!

I hope we can all pick out something good from the weekend ahead of us, because I don’t think the Tottenham game against Manchester United will fill that requirement.

Ramble of the Day

Eric Dier is one of those footballers who has always been unafraid of sharing his interests outside of football, and to his credit, he’s always presented himself as a fairly fascinating person. He seems to distinguish himself amongst his colleagues, though I imagine that’s in part down to him being more open to share and perhaps having more opportunities to do so.

He got another chance to reveal some personality traits through the Evening Standard, with whom he did a London-themed question and answer session. Considering his well-documented business venture, Dier’s probably the right type of person to ask about specific spots in London (especially restaurants). I can’t comment on them because I’ve only been to London twice and naturally did not embed myself into the city the way someone who lives there would. However, many of the questions have interesting answers,

Where would you most like to be buried?

I’d have my ashes scattered in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. I don’t really have any deep connections to London other than Tottenham. So that’s as good a place as any.

That’s a pretty deep question early on in the q&a. I imagine Harry Kane’s got first dibs for the stadium as a final destination, but maybe there’s room for multiple players. Maybe someone can check when they resume stadium tours.

What would you do if you were Mayor for the day?

I’d have a car-free day. It would be beautiful weather because I can choose that, too, and all the restaurants would put stuff out on the streets for outdoor dining.

This is a nice answer — maybe one recognizing that there’s a limit to a day’s worth of power, and maybe one from someone who wouldn’t want to cause too much upheaval in that one day.

What makes someone a Londoner?

I feel like London is Londoners. It’s a big city but there are lots of places where you have that personal connection, like in your local shops. You probably don’t get that in most big cities.

This is definitely true of other big cities.

Who is the most iconic Londoner in history?

The Queen. I love the Queen — I’m a big fan of The Crown.

I will not wade into commentary on the actual monarchy at this time. However, I will talk about The Crown because I’ve seen it and I think there’s probably enough to distinguish the television show from the real life people. I can’t imagine one would like the Queen because of The Crown. She’s the most passive character on that show — things happen to the people around her and her main reaction is one of inaction.

I’m sure there’s more nuance to Dier’s answer and I don’t think he’s necessarily implying he likes the Queen because of The Crown — I just hope he isn’t.

What do you collect?

Lego. I find making Lego very peaceful. I’ve got a lot of cars, cranes, motorbikes. The Land Rover Defender is my favourite piece of Lego and my favourite car.

Is this spon?

tl;dr: Eric Dier did a London-themed question and answer session with the Evening Standard, and I mean it when I say some of his answers are interesting.

Stay informed, read this: the BBC and the Guardian’s reporting on cyclist Nacer Bouhanni, who withdrew from Scheldeprijs after receiving racist abuse on social media

Links of the Day

Swansea, Birmingham, and Rangers will boycott social media in an effort to combat abuse online.

Rangers’ Glen Kamara said he’s faced racist abuse on social media ever day since he was racially abused by Slavia Prague’s Ondřej Kúdela.

Birmingham’s men’s and women’s teams will both play at St Andrew’s from next season.

The Newcastle supporters’ trust launched a campaign to buy a stake in the club.

The Maracanã will no longer be named after Pelé.

A longer read: Jonathan Tannenwald interviews Gotham FC’s Estelle Johnson on the upcoming NWSL season, Olympic qualifiers with Cameroon, and the progress of the women’s game in the US for The Philadelphia Inquirer