NORMAN GILLER'S SPURS ODYSSEY BLOG No 555
Submitted by Norman Giller

How best to steady your nerves as Spurs prepare to tackle Chelsea at Stamford Bridge tomorrow? Easy. Today I am featuring the dreaded decider of the Spurs Odyssey Quiz League. Now this will REALLY cause you stress.

We can hope that Manchester City conquering Chelsea in Saturday's low-key FA Cup final has given them a hangover that will last throughout tomorrow's showdown - which will be pre-the arrival of their "saviour" Xabi Alonso.

Spurs, needing one point to open the trap door for the Hammers, must take nothing for granted and all could yet go horribly wrong. I just hope they don't leave us biting our nails until the home showdown with Everton on Sunday.

Our guru Paul H. Smith gives his usual balanced preview of the Battle of the Bridge HERE, taking into account West Ham's demise at Newcastle last evening that leaves their Premier League life hanging by a thread.

Only a complete Spurs meltdown can save them. As if ...

Meantime, you are invited to become a selector rather than a supporter as I attempt to break the logjam of dozens of you sharing the lead at the top of our SOQL table. It's the ultimate test of your knowledge of the players of our great (if at times, infuriating) club.

If your choice agrees with my selection, it could bring you the treasured title, a framed certificate proclaiming you 2026 champion, plus three of my autographed Spurs-themed books (Not amused by whoever said my signature devalues them).

Just to remind you, the previous SOQL champions featured in the heading above have been:

David Guthrie (Wokingham) 2015, 2018 and 2023
Glenn Scarcliffe (Hampstead) 2016
Edward Benson (New York) 2017
Graham Eyre (New South Wales, Australia) 2019
Emily Hadjinicolaou (Reigate) 2020
Peter Lawton (Israel) 2021
David Matthews (Cheshunt) 2022)
Jonathan Fellows (Staffordshire) 2024
Sue Webb (Cambridge) 2025

All of you with more than 80 points over the season are in the running for the title. I make that around 60 contestants and you all start this decider on level nil points (just one less than the UK entrant mustered in Saturday's baffling Eurovision Song Contest).

The worrying news for all of you is that three-times champion David Guthrie - a walking record book on Spurs history - is up among the joint leaders, and 2020 title holder Emily Hadjinicolaou and reigning 2025 queen Sue Webb are again contenders for the championship.

Also in the running for the title are former champions Graham Eyre, David Matthews, Jonathan Fellows and Israel-based Peter Lawton, who has somehow managed to keep in touch with the leaders despite constantly having to take cover from drones and missiles as the Middle East is plagued by war.

The competition continues to have an international flavour, with contestants contributing their occasional answers during the season from far and wide, including the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Holland, South Africa, Singapore, Hungary, Hawaii, Israel, Cyprus and Vietnam. But few have competed regularly enough to top the 80 points threshold.

As regulars will know, this is when we fall out, because it is really only my opinion that matters in this tiebreak decider. You become manager for the day to play the selecting game, and all you have to do is just try to agree with my choices to take the prestigious SOQL title. Yes, easy!

Please address any complaints or protests to the Spurs Odyssey Ombudsman - which also just happens to be me, and I will ignore you :-).

Remember, this is all just for fun while feeding your appetite for all things Tottenham Hotspur. And it gives this old hack the weekly opportunity to bore for Britain.

Spurs Odyssey web master Paul H. Smith, the SOQL team and I would like to thank all those who consistently compete in our weekly challenge. Without you, I'd be talking to myself (true, nothing new).

Talking of Paul, I am sure you all realise this is a labour of love for our guru. It would be generous and thoughtful if you could make a small donation in the PayPal collection box at the top of this page as a gesture of thanks for all his efforts to keep us informed and entertained. I just wish some of the players could show his commitment and enthusiasm.

To try to separate you all and come up with the 2026 champion we arrive at the dreaded tiebreak teaser. Are you sitting comfortably? You soon won't be ...

Tottenham have won four major European finals, famously the 1963 Cup Winners' Cup and the UEFA Cup in 1972 and 1984, plus the Europa League trophy in Ange Postecoglou's final season.

All you have to do is select a Spurs side - including five subs - from those four teams. You need to pick a minimum of three players from each of the sides. Your five subs must include a goalkeeper.

You get three points for every selection that agrees with mine, and a bonus point for naming the same team captain as me. That's a possible 49 points in total. The contestant with most points takes the crown. If more than one agrees with me - and also choice of skipper - then we would have another tie-breaker if their points tally is equal.

Summary: 16 players, a minimum of three from each of the trophy-winning sides. And name a skipper.

To make it a little easier for you, these were the trophy-winning teams from which I made my selection ...

1963 European Cup Winners Cup final: Brown, Baker, Henry, Blanchflower (c), Norman, Marchi, Jones, White, Smith, Greaves, Dyson.

1972 Uefa Cup final, first leg: Jennings, Kinnear, Knowles, Mullery (c), England, Beal, Perryman, Gilzean, Chivers, Peters, Coates.

1984 Uefa Cup final, first leg: Parks, Thomas, Roberts, Miller, Hughton, Stevens, Perryman (c), Hazard, Galvin, Falco, Archibald.

2024 Europa League final: Vicario, Porro, Romero (c), van de Ven, Udogie, Bentancur, Bissouma, Johnson, Sarr, Richarlison, Solanke.

The strict deadline for your entry is midnight this Friday, May 22. Email your selections, please, to soqleague@gmail.com. Give your name, age, your occupation, the district where you live and how long you've supported Spurs.

I am the sole adjudicator and will not enter into correspondence with anybody who wants to dispute my selection (Donald Trump, eat your heart out).

Enjoy!

I will announce the winner and 2026 champion in my Spurs Odyssey blog next Monday ... hopefully when we are celebrating a Premier League reprieve.

Last week's question, No 35: Who captained Tottenham's 1967 FA Cup winners and what number Spurs shirt did he wear at Wembley?

Answer: Dave Mackay/Shirt number 6 (now we are looking for his spirit and to-dare-is-to-do determination).

COYS!

Ps Don't forget, you can still get my World Cup 1966 book at a cut price and post-free here: www.normangiller.co.uk. Remember, Father's Day is galloping up!

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