When A Strike Is A Good Thing
Tottenham fans will be nothing short of relieved that their club’s striker seems to have remembered that scoring is the name of the game when it comes to Football, this after an slow start to the season by the Spurs, one that has unfortunately become something of a custom of late.
Spurs are no doubt hoping to make their mark in a more positive way in the Premier League as well as the Champions League qualifiers and are looking ahead with renewed hope.
In fact, of late things had gone so awry for the Spurs, that the old urban legend of the “Wembley Curse” has been mentioned in cautious tones.
Their temporary home for the moment, Wembley has been blamed by superstitious fans (that would be in the nineties percentile) for many of Spurs’ recent problems.
Spurs were forced to set up temporary home at Wembley for the 2017/2018 season because of the new state of the art stadium being built on the site of White Hart Lane – Spurs’ home for the last 118 years.
The new and improved stadium will seat 61,500 fans but its construction has left Spurs temporarily homeless, and many are saying that a dreaded Wembley curse has come home to roost. Spurs are yet to settle into their temporary home whilst opposition teams have been seemingly supernaturally lucky playing at Wembley.
No wonder then, that some paranoia seems to be afoot and that many are looking for other causes upon which to lay the blame. Sports betting NZ fans and Football fans across the globe have kept a close eye on what’s been happening at Wembley, as the home ground advantage seems to hold no water for the team that has been given temporary lodgings.
Wage Disputes Not Helping
Wage disputes certainly have seemingly not helped the general morale in the Tottenham camp, with Toby Alderweireld (or at least his agent) making no secret of the extreme level of discontent with his current pay.
Stories been circulating for ages to the effect that Alderweireld might leave Spurs by next summer, primarily because of an inability to agree a new contract with the club, with the main sticking point being a requirement for a reease calujse, which the club do not like. It does not help that there are several top clubs more than willing to double Alderweireld’s salary of more than £50,000 a week – a salary cheque beyond the dreams of ordinary people, but of course not competitive in today's Premier League and indeed in European football.
Danny Rose is another wild card in the salary department, having voiced the same concerns (read: threats) as his team-mate.
The fact that Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool have wage kitties to the tune of double that of Spurs only serves to add further insult to injury.
Rose has become increasingly irate with regards to his ‘low pay’ and his level of discontent is making not only the team but also the bosses somewhat uncomfortable. No doubt "words" have been said to the player behind closed doors.
The thrill of moving into a new top-notch home ground stadium would be surely devalued if some of Tottenham’s greats packed their bags and moved on to pastures new.
Spurs may have to put some serious thought into bridging that gap and paying their players a little bit more- or at least matching what the other clubs seem to manage effortlessly.
After all, an improved home ground is only as good as the players that grace its field.
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