NORMAN GILLER’S SPURS ODYSSEY BLOG No 376
Submitted by Norman Giller

Son Heung-min – the Careering Korean – should borrow the old Morecambe and Wise signature tune: ‘Bring Me Sunshine.’ He brightens the lives of Tottenham followers with his smile and his style, and he was again outstanding in yesterday’s crisis-puncturing victory over lively Aston Villa.

Last week I accused Spurs – including Our Harry Kane – of playing with neither their heads nor their hearts at the Emirates against the other lot from North London. But nobody could fault their effort and determination against Villa, and it was Sonny who created the much-needed mood of defiance mixed and shaken with skill and invention.

The performance, full of character and combativeness, stifled the growing rumours that manager Nuno Espirito Santo had lost the dressing-room.

It was Sonny who played a prominent part in both Tottenham goals, described HERE in detail by our Spurs Odyssey guru Paul H. Smith. With 17 goal attempts, the only disappointment is that Tottenham did not win much more convincingly. They managed to make me feel as exhausted as if I had run the London marathon before finally emerging with all three points. This shut up the keyboard warriors, who have been destroying the team, the owners and in particular Daniel Levy and Nuno on line. They spread more panic than petrol queuers. What kind of fuels are they?

I know that Paul agrees with me that the latest International break has come at an irritating time for Nuno and his Tottenham team, just as it has got back into its rhythm after the nightmare of those three London Derby defeats.

Next up there are three successive away challenges, at Newcastle and West Ham in the League and a Euro Conference date with Vitesse in Holland.

Meantime, Our Harry Kane – still waiting for his first Premier League goal of the season – faces England duty in his proud role as captain, and I just hope he gets his mojo back when playing against Hungary at Wembley tomorrow week.

True, he scored three goals in the Conference match against mediocre Mura last Thursday, but I honestly think the best teams on Hackney Marshes could have given them a tough game.

Let me give Harry and his England team-mates a tip to inspire them: The night before that England World Cup date against the Hungarians ITV are showing the classic BT documentary ‘Greavsie’ as a tribute to the memory of the one and only Jimmy Greaves.

It has only been shown to BT subscribers, and now gets the national platform it deserves. Harry appears in the film and he and his England colleagues can only be motivated by a Greavsie story that is moving, informative and inspirational.

If you get the chance to see it, please take note of the mud-heap pitches on which Jimmy’s generation of footballers had to perform. Most of the surfaces would be considered unplayable today. Could the likes of Lionel Messi and the precious Ronaldo have been able to play on them with the same effect as Jimmy managed? I wonder what you will think.

For all those of you who have been asking me for details of Jimmy’s funeral, I can only tell you that it will be a private family and invited friends affair. Jimmy’s widow, Irene, and their four ‘children’ – Lynn, Danny, Mitzi and Andrew – thank everybody for their condolences and messages.

Plug alert! I have a book out this week in harness with the unique Sir Geoff Hurst, still the only man ever to score a World Cup final hat-trick. It is called Sir Geoff Hurst: Eighty At Eighty, and to mark his 80th birthday (December 8) he has named the 80 most influential sportsmen of his lifetime. It goes from Ali to Zola, and we are challenging readers to see how many times they say when reading the biographies, “I didn’t know that.”

I shall just test and tease you with ten questions among those you will find answered in the book …

Who was the megastar who slept at Wembley through Geoff’s extra-time goals in the 1966 World Cup final?

Which world-beating batsman was born with 12 fingers?

For which County did Sir Geoff play County cricket?

Why does Usain Bolt envy Sir Geoff Hurst?

Who was a 40-fags a day man and a world sporting superstar?

Which major sports star boasted that he slept with 20,000 women during his career?

Who was the world footballing master who got conned out of a fortune?

Why did Roger Bannister regret the time he gave to athletics?

Which future world heavyweight champion had a fight in a Swansea pub?

Why did George Best go missing when out with Greavsie?

You will find all the answers and scores more in Geoff’s book of a lifetime. I know you will be rushing to order a copy from any major bookshop or direct from the publishers at https://www.pitchpublishing.co.uk/shop/eighty-eighty.

Or you can watch Geoff’s message about the book here:-

https://www.pitchpublishing.co.uk/content/new-book-sir-geoffs-video-message-eighty-eighty.

Thank you. I am sure you will support this hungry writer :-)

The eighth week of season eight of the Spurs Odyssey Quiz League challenge, and the question is:

Which Yorkshireman joined Tottenham from Leeds, won 41 England caps and against which team did he score his only Premier League goal for Spurs?

Please email your answer to me at soqleague@gmail.com and make the subject heading Quiz Week 8. 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 seven 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 prizes for the champion: A rare out-of-print book from my now very special Greavsie collection with autographs from the late, great Jimmy Greaves, Dave Mackay and Steve Perryman, and, most important of all, a framed certificate announcing the winner as SOQL champion 2022. Plus a signed copy of My 70 Years of Spurs book and a special bonus prize that I will announce later in the season.

Answer to question 7: Who was an FA Cup winner with Tottenham after joining them from Coventry, and with which Midlands club did he finish his playing career?.

Steve Sedgley, who finished his playing career at Wolverhampton Wanderers. He played a key role in Tottenham’s 1991 FA Cup final victory over Nottingham Forest.

See you back here same time, same place next week. COYS!

Follow @spursodyssey