The Hoddle of Coffee: Tottenham Hotspur news and links for Monday, May 10

Hi, all!

At the top today is forward Jessica Naz.

Ramble of the Day

When Ryan Mason was appointed as the interim manager of Tottenham’s men’s team, the Cartilage Free Captain writers’ room had a number of questions. Like just about everyone out there, the main one was about what his tactical philosophy might be. There was a much less serious question in the mix, though: Would he be the type of manager to wear a track suit or a more traditional suit on the touchline?

I thought I wouldn’t have an answer until the end of his small spell in charge, but I feel I now have the answers after only four matches: he’s somewhere in between. He has, more or less, worn the same exact thing every week — black sweater with a halfway zip, a black blazer on top, black pants, and black shoes with a white sole. For the Carabao Cup final, he opted for a traditional blazer; on all the other days, he’s sported the puffer blazer.

Photo by MICHAEL REGAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

The template is a classic one, a simple blend of a traditionally professional look with some more casual details that feel at home in a sporting venue. His one big style choice is the puffer blazer, in every sense emblematic of that semi-casual look he prefers. It feels like a less formal version of a light gray puffer blazer Fulham’s Scott Parker has received quite a bit of attention for this season, including in a piece from British GQ. (It is actually the very first thing that pops up when you search “scott parker blazer” on Google.)

Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Despite the comparison, it was not the inspiration for the name I gave Mason’s style. On Saturday, I dubbed it soft Diego Simeone, because I think the aesthetic choice from Mason is wearing all black, and there’s no football manager I associate more with that look than Simeone. The main difference is that Simeone dresses a little bit like he’s attending a funeral every single time he’s at a football match, and Mason most certainly does not. (For what it’s worth, I completely respect Simeone’s style because football can frequently make you sad.)

Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images

I can’t decide if this makes Mason one of the more stylish managers in recent Tottenham history, because I can’t quite make up my mind on the puffer blazer. It’s not my favorite; I just can’t decide how harsh I want to be about it. Pochettino wore some decent jackets during his time at Spurs, but relatively infrequently. André Villas-Boas is probably his greatest competition; he also went really classic, but if my memory serves me right, he perfected the tailoring for a really sharp look.

We will see if Mason adds some variety to his looks, and if he does, I may update my analysis. He seems to have a decent idea of what he’s doing here, so it wouldn’t be a big deal if he didn’t.

tl;dr: I have officially labelled Ryan Mason’s touchline style as soft Diego Simeone.

Stay informed, read this: Jeff Burtka on the success a majority Black high school in Detroit is enjoying in girls’ lacrosse for the Guardian

Links of the Day

Manchester United co-owner Joel Glazer said he will meet win supporters by the end of May.

Burnley will offer 3500 season ticket holders free entry to the team’s Premier League finale against Liverpool.

Birmingham was docked a point before the end of the FA WSL season after fielding an ineligible player in April.

Hockey player Alexander Ovechkin is now an investor in the NWSL’s Washington Spirit.

Amazon will produce When Eagles Dare, a docuseries about Crystal Palace’s journey to the Premier League.

A longer read: Samantha Lewis on how the increasing popularity of the Australian women’s team has helped the federation battle the financial struggles the pandemic has brought on for ESPN