Frabjous Day

Alan Curbishley was 47 years old yesterday (Monday). Here he is talking to the press.

Tottenham 2 Charlton 3

My reference to Lewis Carroll in the last piece has provided my subconscious with suitable language for celebrating Charlton's first away win of the season, at trouble-torn Tottenham Hotspur, a club which I do not perceive as being troubled, actually, given its resources, fan-base and general history. I was getting worried after the Middlesbrough game, and the news that the Tottenham manager had resigned on Friday gave me a slight lift, when it was coupled with the realisation that Charlton quite often win this particular fixture - last year it was 0-1 at White Hart Lane, just after Christmas, I remember, and not long before the Spotty Parker affair blew up.

I have more than a soft spot for Burnley, given my childhood whereabouts and various other factors (see blog of 29 May), so it is a trifle bizarre to find that Spurs as opposition are on my mind yet again, tonight, as they meet Burnley at Turf Moor in the League Cup, as I always think of it. This is a re-run of two years go, when Burnley knocked Spurs out by 3-1, I think, and then lost to Manchester United 0-2 in the following round. Will we see the Spurs of the first half against Charlton, lacking in ideas (hope so), or the Spurs of the second half, when they reduced the 0-3 deficit to 2-3, fighting hard (preferably not)? Burnley's history with Spurs goes back to the early sixties when they were the two big teams of the day, and, how unlike the Arsenal - Manchester United axis of the present, relations between the clubs, fans too, were always cordial; the matches between them were always worth seeing, as well. So I quite like Spurs, but not so much that I want them to beat Charlton, or Burnley, and as I certainly did not want them to take Alan Curbishley away from us, I am greatly relieved that Spurs have given the manager's job to Martin Jol. I wish Mr. Jol well, though not tonight, when I hope Burnley can repeat their feat of two years ago, and not on 12 February next, either.


So much more cheerfully, I set forth in an hour to the quiz, moved from last night to tonight, on account of today being a Madrid (city only, not the rest of the province) public holiday, and we remember what happened four weeks ago. You can look it up, if you can be bothered. We have been doing quite well of late, and not parallelling Charlton at all, though obviously tonight I am looking for a link with Saturday's result, and if providence is feeling beneficent, maybe Burnley can win, too.