NORMAN GILLER'S SPURS ODYSSEY BLOG No 551
Submitted by Norman Giller

Anybody watching this aging, ancient sportswriter during the screening of Tottenham's match against Brighton would have considered calling the men in the white coats. As Xavi Simons over-celebrated his brilliant goal in a tangle of jubilant players I found myself screaming at the television: "Show some discipline, you idiots. There are still at least 13 minutes to go."

This was probably the best-ever performance from Simons since he arrived from Leipzig last August, yet his OTT revelry not only earned him a yellow card but eventually brought the blues to Spurs.

Brighton's late-late equaliser pushes Tottenham back into deep crisis territory, and they are now favourites along with Wolves and Burnley to make the drop down into the Championship.

The tears staining the cheeks of Simons as Georginio Rutter's late goal bulged the Tottenham net were in stark contrast to his shirt-stripping dance of delight that followed his 77th minute goal. I wonder how he will react to scoring in the Championship?

For me, even more concerning than Saturday's result were the ugly racist remarks directed on line at Kevin Danso for his clumsy part in Brighton's wounding second equaliser.

There is no excuse, no room and no reason for the behaviour of feeble-minded fans who sickeningly judge a man by the colour of his skin rather than his shirt. The abuse Kevin has suffered is totally unacceptable, and I hope the club go through with their threats to punish the mini-brained perpetrators.

Our Spurs Odyssey guru Paul H. Smith gives the full match facts HERE, and with all Tottenham's relegation rivals picking up precious points we know exactly where we stand. The jaws of relegation are opening ever wider. Friends, we cannot afford a single defeat.

We have to hope for maximum points for the first time this year at Wolves on Saturday, and our prayer mats are out that Crystal Palace can do us a favour against West Ham tonight.

After the visit to Molineux, we then have to face in-form Aston Villa (a), revived Leeds United (h), nemesis club Chelsea (a) and, finally, unpredictable Everton at home on Sunday May 24.

Meantime, Harry Kane - remember him? - is scoring goals by the bucketful as Bayern capture the Bundesliga title, and there could be more baubles to come. At home in North London, knees are knocking at Tottenham and also down the road at the Emirates. It's a tough old game.

Incidentally, have I mentioned I was celebrating my 86th birthday on Saturday? Like Tottenham, it was just candles in the wind.

Nurse, my tablets please.

COYS

Here we go with the 32nd week of our quiz that tests your knowledge of Tottenham players and the club's history ...

Who joined Spurs from Racing Club de Lens in 2025, and for which country has he won 31 international caps? Ps: Please go to www.normangiller.co.uk and order my 1966 World Cup book at a cut price and post-free. Hat-trick hero Sir Geoff Hurst provides the fee-free introduction - and there's lots about Greavsie! I promise it's a rewarding read. Scroll down the landing page and you'll see a video of me talking about the book. Think of it as an 86th birthday present for me!

Please email your answer to me at soqleague@gmail.com and make the subject heading Quiz Week 32. Deadline: midnight this Saturday. 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: Which Swedish-born player captained Tottenham at Wembley in the 1987 FA Cup final, and from which club did he sign for Spurs?

Answer: Richard Gough/Dundee United

See you back here on Monday..

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