NORMAN GILLER'S SPURS ODYSSEY BLOG No 449
Submitted by Norman Giller

You can tell it's international-break week when I have time to start worrying about the new, frightening AI (Artificial Intelligence) phenomenon - not to be confused with the AIA on the front of Tottenham shirts (American International Assurance, who pay 320 million pounds for the privilege of being chested by every Spurs player).

Just as an experiment, I typed this question into my new AI app: 'How have Tottenham Hotspur done so far under Ange Postecoglou?'

Within three seconds - three seconds - I had the following response:

"The Ange Postecoglou era is well and truly under way at Tottenham Hotspur, with his brand of attacking football proving a huge success so far. Spurs comfortably dispatched Burnley 5-2 in their most recent match to continue their unbeaten start to the Premier League season and move up to second in the table

Postecoglou's confident demeanour, charisma and positive approach is paying dividends, with Spurs playing the type of progressive, exciting football supporters have long been hoping for.

Following a disappointing 2022/23 season, in which they finished eighth with 60 points, their lowest league finish since 2008/09, the Athens-born, naturalised Australian has proven a breath of fresh air since his summer arrival from Celtic.

Indeed, while Spurs also began last season with three wins from four matches under Antonio Conte, the underlying numbers point to greater optimism under Postecoglou.

After Harry Kane's departure to Bayern Munich this summer, Postecoglou was keen to establish fresh leadership on the pitch ahead of the new season, naming Son Heung-min as captain, while Cristian Romero and James Maddison were both made vice-captains..."

This is the flesh-and-blood Uncle Norman now typing: There were a thousand more words giving glowing testimony to the way Postecoglou has got Ange-Ball up and running, and his refreshingly positive approach to the game.

Our website master Paul H. Smith no doubt considers this an improvement on my usual drivel, but it has been produced by a robot in just seconds. At some stage a human being has collected and collated that information, but no acknowledgement of outside input.

This is just a tiny example of the way AI is taking over the information highway. It is exciting and dangerous all at the same time. I would hate to be a young writer just coming into the business (I started out in the era of clunking typewriters and carbon paper).

Meantime, in the old-fashioned human world, Ange will be anxiously counting back his players after world-wide international duty and will be wondering whether to introduce new signing from Forest - Brennan (Bren Gun) Johnson - into the firing line against Sheffield United on Saturday.

Johnson has yet to train with all his new team-mates and it is more likely that he will start on the bench against a Sheffield side that has gathered just one point so far this season.

It is the following two games - against Arsenal and Liverpool - that will decide just how well the Ange revolution is going.

And even AI can't tell you the results of those two games. Yet.

I was saddened and sickened to see some myopic Spurs fans taking apart Harry Kane for his quiet performance against Ukraine on Saturday, and they misinterpreted one of his quotes to such an extent they were calling for his wall mural tribute to be covered up.

For me, Harry Kane will always represent what is best about Tottenham Hotspur. It is pathetic for people to now turn on him after he has given us the best years of his playing career. I would like to put up a mural on Tottenham High Road: 'Grow up.'

Artificial Intelligence could not have created Harry. He was larger than life in his Tottenham days.

Time for a quick commercial: My The G-Men biography has gone off to the Printer, the sizzling story of Jimmy Greaves and Alan Gilzean, arguably the greatest of all Tottenham double acts. I am giving a donation from every book sold to the Tottenham Tribute Trust to help our old heroes who missed the gravy train.

You can order it now direct post-free from me at www.normangillerbooks.com Thank you, I hope, for your support.

AI could not have written it because it did not join Jimmy, Alan and me at the bar after matches - The Three G-Men.

COYS!

Week six of season nine of the Spurs Odyssey Quiz League challenge, and the question is:

Who played for THE two North London clubs, was top Spurs goalscorer in his final season at White Hart Lane and with which country did he win 87 caps?

Please email your answer to me at soqleague@gmail.com and make the subject heading Quiz Week 6. Deadline: midnight this Friday. I will do my best to respond to all who take part.

The rules are the same as in the previous eight seasons. I ask a two-pronged question with three points at stake - two for identifying the player and one for the supplementary question. In the closing weeks of the competition I break the logjam of all-knowing Spurs-history experts with a tie-breaking poser that is based on opinion rather than fact. That's when I become as popular as Sol Campbell in an Arsenal shirt.

This year's main prize will be a framed certificate announcing the winner as SOQL champion 2024, plus three signed books to be revealed at a later date. We have retired the omniscient David Guthrie after his three victories.

Last week's question:

Who won 56 international caps, played for Barnsley and Aston Villa and against which team did he score an FA Cup final penalty for Tottenham?

Answer: Danny Blanchflower/Burnley (1962)

See you back here same time, same place on Monday. COYS!

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