NORMAN GILLER'S SPURS ODYSSEY BLOG No 491
Submitted by Norman Giller

It was fitting that Dominic Solanke proved a trump card for Tottenham yesterday at the start of the US Presidential voting week. He was elected Man of the Match against an Aston Villa team that has been whacking all comers.

Back-to-back victories over form sides Man City and Villa may not take Spurs to the White House but it's the sort of form that could at last end the silverware search.

Dominant Dom might easily have had a hat-trick as he showed (dare I say) Harry Kane style finishing and all-round enthusiasm and expertise.

All those keyboard warriors who have been questioning his worth can crawl back into their holes.

Pape Sarr ran Solanke close for the MotM honours. What a cultured and clinical player. You get the sense he could control the traffic at Hyde Park Corner while balancing a ball on his head. Manager Postecoglou understandably rates him highly and I believe he can develop into a Tottenham midfield legend in the mould of the likes of Eddie Baily, Danny Blanchflower, John White, Glenn Hoddle, Gazza, Luka Modric and Christian Eriksen.

This Spurs side has character (forgetting the Palace debacle) and it was significant to see skipper Heung-min Son really caring about being substituted.

Sonny is not just here to take the money and run. He wants to lead and be part of what is going to be a special season. You've got to believe in Ange's Angels. Sonny does, which is why the Careering Korean was clearly upset at being pulled off after creating a vital equalising goal for Brengun Johnson with a pass from the heavens.

Our Spurs reporter Declan Mulcahy gives his account of the vanquishing of Villa HERE, and pinpoints that this was a victory for traditional-style Spurs team work.

It's the sort of collective quality that Steve Perryman and I spotlight in our biography of 'Sir Bill' Nicholson. You can order a dual signed copy at https://steveperryman.com/product/sir-bill-the-book/.

Next up a trip to Turkey and a tough Europa League test on Thursday against Galatasaray, and then a visit to Tottenham Hotspur stadium from struggling Ipswich on Sunday.

Here's hoping Tottenham (but not Donald) come up trumps

I came home from honeymoon to find my "kids" had put this 60-year-old poster up in our hall. My child bride is unimpressed. Divorce lawyers on standby.

If anybody out there can remember this poster being up outside grounds you must be ancient!

Those were the days when the Express sold 4.2 million copies a day. If they manage that in a week these days they are ecstatic.

Back then Spurs averaged 43,808 spectators at White Hart Lane (season 1963-64). Average last season at Tottenham Stadium, 61,459.

And Norman Giller is still here having his two-pennyworth! You poor people.

COYS!

Week ELEVEN already of our eleventh season of the Spurs Odyssey Quiz League, and the question is:

Which defender has won 25 international caps, started his career with Juventus in 2018 and with which club was he playing when he joined Spurs?

Please email your answer to me at soqleague@gmail.com and make the subject heading Quiz Week 11. 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 ten 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 year's main prize will be a framed certificate announcing the winner as SOQL champion 2025, plus three signed books to be revealed at a later date. Last week's question: Who was a member of the 2012 British Olympic squad, joined Spurs from Leeds, won 29 England caps, and which club did he eventually join in 2022 after several loan deals?

Answer:Danny Rose, Watford

See you back here on Monday. COYS!

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