NORMAN GILLER'S SPURS ODYSSEY BLOG No 522
Submitted by Norman Giller

If you looked to the sidelines during Tottenham's mangling of Man City on Saturday, you will have seen the new force that is putting the spring back into all our steps: head coach Thomas Frank and his No 1 assistant Matt Wells.

They have developed a rapport and understanding that is revealing itself on the pitch, and for those of us of a certain age it carries the echoes of one of the great legends of White Hart Lane, flying Welsh Wing Wizard Cliff Jones.

Matt is Cliff's grandson and has been heading for the top as a coach ever since his promising playing career with Spurs was cruelly cut short by injuries in his early 20s.

Dear old Cliff, who I used to write about in his peak years with Tottenham and Wales and is now a Spurs meeter and greeter, is busting with pride over Matt's input and it carries on a great Jones family footballing tradition.

Cliff's Dad, Uncles and brothers were all footballing masters, and Enfield-born Matt is putting his football brain to work for the Tottenham team in general and new manager Thomas Frank in particular.

He has had brief breaks away from Spurs as coach alongside his pal Scott Parker at Fulham, Bournemouth and Brugge in Belgium, but he has Lilywhite blood and emerged as a major influence in Ange Postecoglou's coaching team. Now he is Thomas Frank's right-hand man and suddenly we Spurs supporters are being overcome by optimism.

Excuse the alleged pun (he said unapologetically), but this Wells will far go.

Saturday's victory over City, reported HERE by our guru Paul H. Smith, was a magnificent team performance, and old timers would have loved the input of our midfield trio Joao Palhinha, Pape Matar Sarr and Rodrigo Bentancur. Dare I say it had a touch of Blanchflower-White-Mackay about it, and I promise I cannot give higher praise than that. Add the craft of Kudus, the industry of Richarlison and the defiance of a diligent defence and you have the reason for Tottenham's storming start to the season.

Even Eberechi Eze could not have matched this standard! I broke a golden rule by declaring Eze a Spurs player before he had pulled on a Lilywhite shirt, but Tottenham insiders warned me that his agent was stalling at every turn after verbally agreeing to the move. He had been tipped off that Arsenal were thinking of coming back and as that was the player's first choice there was nothing Tottenham (in particular Daniel Levy) could do about it. That is history. Now let's get on with supporting the players who WANT to wear the Tottenham colours.

Bournemouth are next to take on this new-look Tottenham. The Cherries looked more than ripe for action despite going down to an opening day defeat at Liverpool and overcame Wolves on Saturday. Don't expect easy pickings.

I will not jinx it by mentioning names, but I understand we could have one or two exciting new signings by the September 1 deadline. But don't believe it until you see them wearing the Lilywhite shirt!

I should listen to my own advice.

COYS!

Here we go with the third week of our quiz that tests your knowledge of Tottenham players and the club's history...

Who played 18 times for England, started his career with Charlton Athletic and from which club did he join Spurs in 2011?

Please email your answer to me at soqleague@gmail.com and make the subject heading Quiz Week 3. 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 11 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 real stinker of a tie-breaking poser that is based on opinion rather than fact. This is when I lose what few friends I have.

This season's main prize will be a framed certificate announcing the winner as SOQL champion 2026, plus three signed books to be revealed at a later date.

Last week I asked: Who wore the No 4 shirt in Tottenham's famous Push-and-Run championship-winning team, and against which country did he score for England with his first kick in international football?

Answer: Bill Nicholson/Portugal

See you back here on Monday.

COYS!

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