The Hoddle of Coffee: Tottenham Hotspur News and Links for Thursday, January 20

Hello, all!

Watch anything fun lately?

Ramble of the Day

Not long after full time of Tottenham’s 3-2 win over Leicester, we had a little conversation in the Cartilage Free Captain writers’ room about having fun. It’s been a little while since any of us have had that kind of fun watching a Spurs match, I’d argue. I don’t think it’s entirely about the last several years being miserable, either; even for most good teams, it’s not that common to rescue a result like that.

A game in which your team is losing with six seconds on the clock and then scores twice to win the game is rare, and deserves to be regarded as a treat. These games very obviously feel that way, and the players’ celebration yesterday perfectly encapsulates the particular feeling of joy.

This type of excitement causes people to do things they would not normally do. In Lucas Moura’s case, it meant taking a random person’s hat and throwing it to the ground in celebration. It’s one of those things that feels weird without the emotional context, but is pretty funny when you know all of it. (I hope the person didn’t care much for the hat because it’s probably gone for good.)

Also in Moura’s case, this type of excitement leads to pretending stewards are part of the celebration. I cannot imagine that the steward walked into work yesterday thinking a footballer might jump on them in celebration, but it probably speaks to the unpredictable nature of sports. From time to time, celebration becomes a group exercise and the more members of the group, the merrier. Generally, we love sharing joy.

Moura was not the only one feeling this level of excitement. Giovani Lo Celso also jumped on a steward, another hilarious thing that I hope did not result in any particular inconvenience or injury for the stewards. Again, you’re not doing this if you’re not just extremely happy.

tl;dr: Extreme examples of joy, courtesy of Lucas Moura and Giovani Lo Celso.

Stay informed, read this: Vanessa Friedman and Jacob Bernstein write the obituary of former Vogue editor André Leon Talley, a trailblazer for Black people in fashion media, for The New York Times

Links of the Day

Canada international Stephanie Labbé will retire in April, capping off a 16 year career.

The FA launched an investigation into a yellow card received by an Arsenal player earlier this season for suspicious betting activity.

Turkish broadcaster and entrepreneur Acun Ilıcalı completed a takeover of Hull City.

Real Sociedad supporters attacked and damaged the Atléti team bus ahead of the teams’ Wednesday match.

A longer read: Caitlin Murray on Portland Timbers and Thorns supporters and a struggling relationship with the club after it was accused of covering up sexual misconduct for ESPN