The Hoddle of Coffee: Tottenham Hotspur News and Links for Monday, December 5

good morning!

We’re still a few weeks away from the return of the Premier League, but the EFL Championship has already picked back up!

Most clubs will resume fixtures this coming weekend, but Millwall and Sunderland were already back in action this past weekend to make up for Matchday nine.

Former Hotspurs Jack Clarke and Dennis Cirkin were both featured in the Black Cats’ 3-0 win at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.

Millwall had the better looks in the first half, not least a wasted effort right before the first-half whistle blew. And they would pay dearly for it.

Amad Diallo and Alex Pritchard scored within five minutes of each other after an uninteresting first half.

Calamitous defending and shaky goalkeeping gifted Sunderland their final goal in 90 + 3 minutes.

It wasn’t as if Millwall were terrible either. They outshot Sunderland 19-11 and had the same amount of shots on goal at five, but committed far too many fouls.

And they really should have scored in the first half after a horrific error from the Sunderland keeper gifted the Millwall striker with an easy look at an open net, but he dragged it wide.

The lions’ defence also doesn’t look that convincing. Yes, Sunderland were more lethal in their attack and applied plenty of pressure. But I don’t understand how seven blue shirts in the penalty box cannot close down one player.

Sunderland’s win brings them back into the top half of the table. They currently sit 10th, one point out of the playoffs. Millwall remain in seventh on 30 points.

Millwall next host Wigan on December 10, and Sunderland host West Brom on December 12.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Do You Remember Sally Moore?, by Girl Scout

And now for your links:

The Athletic ($$) takes a deep dive into Belgium’s toxic World Cup

Pele, doctors push back on reports about football legend’s health

Fan dies at Bromley football match as fixture is abandoned

Prospective owners of Birmingham City pull out of takeover bid

Midseason friendly between Hearts and Almeria suspended due to player altercations