This Christmas, for Spurs, and being a Spurs followers, us as well, it feels like one has entered the twilight zone of a goal fest. I say it is unusual as we don’t – of recent times – usually score that many. Just enough to win a game (a goal or two).
Those of a young age won’t have a clue what I am talking about when I mention the Twilight zone. The programme started in the late 50s (OK, I am showing my age!) and it was about strange goings on in another reality. It started with the words: “It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call the Twilight Zone.”
I say that because we’ve gone goal crazy over Christmas. It all started on our trip to Everton’s Goodison Park were we embarrassed Walcott’s boys on their own turf by beating them 6-2. But it didn’t end there, oh, no, Christmas day came and went and before you could give the neighbour’s cat a tickle on his privates, Boxing day was upon, and we were back at Wembley. We thought that, yes, a good score at Goodison, but that was a one-off. The Bournemouth game came and before you could say “Jimmy Riddle,” and we did, we won 5 nil. That is 11 goals in two games. We were shell-shocked, punch drunk, in the land of the Twilight zone, (All together now) Doo-do doo-do doo-do doo-do…
Then things were quickly blown off course, and we were hammered, albeit, being tired, by Wolves (don’t mention the score and I won’t mention the war, paraphrasing Basil Fawlty). The goal fest was only a dream, back to scoring the one and only goal. Then a trip to Cardiff and, low and behold, we slip back to the twilight zone and thrash Cardiff by 3-0. That was in the first half, the second half we gave the home team a break and hibernated for 45 minutes.
All over? Not by a long shot. We then partake in our second match of the new year, this time in the FA Cup, where our opponents were Tranmere Rovers of four divisions down (Second Division). The first half was just a kick-around and one goal thanks to Aurier. But the second half, we must have had a bit more than we should have of that particular juice because we were SMOKING!!!!! No, we didn’t just score another one, or two, or three or four… or even five, but six bloody smackers to put us in the record books (7 in total). Now that is SMOKING!!!! Or in laymen's terms, the shit hit the fan.
We thought, “What just happened?” With Father Christmas coming down our Chimney, where there was no chimney, and presents galore, turkey’s worth stuffing, sick stomach and back to work the next day (Bournemouth match). Then New Year's Eve, too much of everything, waking up with a hangover and more goals that you could count on your right hand (so that is what it is for!).
But that wasn’t in the clubs game plan. No, we wanted to get through the Christmas period, as we knew we were going to be tested, and our performances were going to show the rest of the league what we were made of.
The Tranmere game we took some untried – at this level – young players with us and then set off to Liverpool. Enjoy, take it easy and no hiccups, the manager said. After all, they were four levels below us. But that didn’t stop us thinking, or me thinking, about Giant killings and serial attackers and those that move around in the dark (Ghoulies I believe).
God Bless Liverpool for being so kind to us over the Christmas period with 13 goals (not to mention the Cardiff tigers three generous gifts). Don’t you just love Liverpool and Welsh hospitality at this time of year? Things to come?
How can we thank them? Oh, yes… Liverpool FC is coming up soon, so that will be our gift to you (another brace of goals for us, and none to them) dreaming? We’ll see!.
It can only get better, as New Labour sung, as they watched Jeremy Corbyn take charge and pull the plug out of New Labour’s boat to allow it to sink to the bottom of a disused, but a potent minefield.
So there you have it, a Christmas Wonderland and hopefully there is more to come. Next up is Chelsea in the League Cup semi-final, followed by United in the Premier League; if we can’t stamp our mark on those matches, then where can we? If we are potential Trophy challengers, and we’ve entered the new year on a positive, let us continue that theme… let us keep rolling along, crowds cheering, admirers approving, Sports writers scribbling ferociously, supporters stamping their feet until we finally come to the close of the season, and the lifting of a trophy or three. It is going to happen, so why not this season?
Don Scully
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