The word “Spursy” has new meaning today. Brighton & Hove Albion will be the first Tottenham Hotspur opponent in this brave new world. Spurs ended their 17-year-trophy drought, by claiming the UEFA Europa League title, besting hapless Manchester United in the final on Wednesday night.
“Spursy” is, or should we say was, a word that is to English Premier League football what “Clemsoning” was to American college/NCAA football. Before Clemson won those national titles in 2016 and 2018, Clemsoning was word synonymous with choking.
Championship Sunday FYIs
Brighton & Hove Albion at Tottenham Hotspur
Kick off: Sun. May 24, 4pm, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, UK
Tottenham Hotspur Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Google Result Probability: Tottenham Hotspur 21% Brighton 56% Draw 23%
PL Form, Position: Tottenham Hotspur LLDLL, 38 pts, 17th Brighton LWDWW, 58 pts, 8th
It basically meant….reaching the threshold of glory, but then squandering the opportunity. It was a pattern of letting the moment slip, until one day, they didn’t. Same with being Spursy. So did Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglu do enough to keep his job?
Hard to say, but preliminary reports are suggesting that Spurs players do not expect him to return next season. We will certainly get into that once the offseason commences on Monday. In the meantime, here is the lineup prediction versus Brighton.
Tottenham Hotspur Starting Lineup Prediction vs Brighton
Antonin Kinsky, Djed Spence, Kevin Danso, Ben Davies, Destiny Udogie, Archie Gray, Wilson Odobert, Pape Sarr, Brennan Johnson, Mathys Tel, Heung-Min Son
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter