profspur
@profspur.bsky.social
I write the Profspur Analysis newsletter https://profspur.substack.com
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Spurs are Riding Their Luck
A look at the underlying numbers 15 games into the 2025-26 season.
profspur.substack.com
New from me: We're riding our luck. I break down what what it means to be 'lucky' in statistical terms so far. profspur.substack.com/p/spurs-are-...
Why is Frank causing our players to be injured?
November 25, 2025 at 7:53 PM
Why is Frank causing our players to be injured?
People will say anything.
November 25, 2025 at 7:24 PM
People will say anything.
I have to confess that I’ve been unwilling to admit to myself the obvious truth—that Dewsbury-Hall is an outstanding footballer—simply because as a US American I find his name hilariously plausible as a location in a Jane Austen novel.
November 25, 2025 at 1:26 PM
I have to confess that I’ve been unwilling to admit to myself the obvious truth—that Dewsbury-Hall is an outstanding footballer—simply because as a US American I find his name hilariously plausible as a location in a Jane Austen novel.
Reposted by profspur
I left the weekend with only questions about Thomas Frank.
Here they are.
#COYS
www.purefootball.co/5-questions-...
Here they are.
#COYS
www.purefootball.co/5-questions-...
5 Questions I'm Thinking After That 4-1 Loss to Arsenal
I feel like Ali Gold as I sit down to write today... "Ahhh...Tottenham!"
I haven't found a good way to get into the season, let alone yesterday's match against Arsenal. I've struggled to figure out w...
www.purefootball.co
November 25, 2025 at 12:07 PM
I left the weekend with only questions about Thomas Frank.
Here they are.
#COYS
www.purefootball.co/5-questions-...
Here they are.
#COYS
www.purefootball.co/5-questions-...
Indeed, and injuries only matter in context. If eg PSG are missing Dembele and Doue (!) they can still put out an 11 with Kvara and Barcola *on the bench*. Thats not the same as relying on Davies and Gray without Romero and VDV.
There’s also the thing that people would largely agree that our best players are Porro, Van de Ven and Romero and our defence is terrible at the moment.
November 25, 2025 at 10:18 AM
Indeed, and injuries only matter in context. If eg PSG are missing Dembele and Doue (!) they can still put out an 11 with Kvara and Barcola *on the bench*. Thats not the same as relying on Davies and Gray without Romero and VDV.
Reposted by profspur
The thing is there aren’t caveats that explain being 19th for shots, 17th for xG and 18th for open play xG. The injuries aren’t helping but clearly the issues are far greater than talent with those numbers. This is all while having the 3rd highest set piece as a % of xG rate at 36%
November 25, 2025 at 10:14 AM
The thing is there aren’t caveats that explain being 19th for shots, 17th for xG and 18th for open play xG. The injuries aren’t helping but clearly the issues are far greater than talent with those numbers. This is all while having the 3rd highest set piece as a % of xG rate at 36%
Pundits & fans beginning of the season: Frank did all that at Brentford with worse players, imagine what he could do at Spurs!
Same people now: Frank has worse players at Spurs; I'd rather have Mbeumo, Wissa, and Schade.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Same people now: Frank has worse players at Spurs; I'd rather have Mbeumo, Wissa, and Schade.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
November 25, 2025 at 10:08 AM
Pundits & fans beginning of the season: Frank did all that at Brentford with worse players, imagine what he could do at Spurs!
Same people now: Frank has worse players at Spurs; I'd rather have Mbeumo, Wissa, and Schade.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Same people now: Frank has worse players at Spurs; I'd rather have Mbeumo, Wissa, and Schade.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
1) In light of this, a thought experiment: Imagine next week Spurs lose both Romero and van de Ven to injury. They will not play again together until April. Then a week later we lose Vicario for 21 games. We still don't have Solanke or Deki. ...
November 25, 2025 at 8:40 AM
1) In light of this, a thought experiment: Imagine next week Spurs lose both Romero and van de Ven to injury. They will not play again together until April. Then a week later we lose Vicario for 21 games. We still don't have Solanke or Deki. ...
Ah, so Ange is the sporting director now?
Honestly, “journalist” doesn’t have the same impact as it did back in the day.
How’s your quota?
How’s your quota?
November 25, 2025 at 8:16 AM
Ah, so Ange is the sporting director now?
What I've said all along is that Frank will not be successful at Spurs playing as he normally does, but he's smart and I'm optimistic he could reinvent his approach for a club like Spurs. Now, I suspect, is the inflection point at which we'll see if the latter will start to take shape, or not.
November 24, 2025 at 8:57 PM
What I've said all along is that Frank will not be successful at Spurs playing as he normally does, but he's smart and I'm optimistic he could reinvent his approach for a club like Spurs. Now, I suspect, is the inflection point at which we'll see if the latter will start to take shape, or not.
Sorry, the combo of Everton + comms accents is too linguistically entertaining for me.
Thought Gana was off?
No, it's Garner.
Gana?
No Garner.
No, it's Garner.
Gana?
No Garner.
November 24, 2025 at 8:45 PM
Sorry, the combo of Everton + comms accents is too linguistically entertaining for me.
Thought Gana was off?
No, it's Garner.
Gana?
No Garner.
No, it's Garner.
Gana?
No Garner.
November 24, 2025 at 8:43 PM
Thought Gana was off?
No, it's Garner.
Gana?
No Garner.
No, it's Garner.
Gana?
No Garner.
Dorgooops
Juiceberry hall
November 24, 2025 at 8:34 PM
Dorgooops
Reposted by profspur
A comparison to our position after 12 games last season
November 23, 2025 at 8:45 PM
A comparison to our position after 12 games last season
I am definitely not one of those people
People do forget that we were good for a bit last year in the league before we lost all of our center backs to injuries.
November 24, 2025 at 8:29 PM
I am definitely not one of those people
Need Ndiaye to do something special tonight to avoid a catastrophic FPL weekend so naturally Everton would get a red card for one player slapping his own teammate in the head.
November 24, 2025 at 8:23 PM
Need Ndiaye to do something special tonight to avoid a catastrophic FPL weekend so naturally Everton would get a red card for one player slapping his own teammate in the head.
1) Here's a quick statistical check-in. Even as our opponents continue to miss big chances against us at a higher than normal rate (81%), our average xGA is 1.39 and our xGD is -5..28. To put that in perspective...
November 24, 2025 at 4:30 PM
1) Here's a quick statistical check-in. Even as our opponents continue to miss big chances against us at a higher than normal rate (81%), our average xGA is 1.39 and our xGD is -5..28. To put that in perspective...
Levels
November 24, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Levels
Reposted by profspur
This is a helpfully frank expression of Baudrillardian thing in modern football where the para-football discourse about who you are starts to impact what people think about the reality on the pitch. What Frank profits from was Ange’s downfall. Unjustly, in my view.
Like many in the media, and I know this irritates some fans, I've always found Frank extremely personable and respectful - which is not nothing given some of his predecessors. But obviously that's not a priority for supporters and I can see why many feel sense of ennui and drift
November 24, 2025 at 9:21 AM
This is a helpfully frank expression of Baudrillardian thing in modern football where the para-football discourse about who you are starts to impact what people think about the reality on the pitch. What Frank profits from was Ange’s downfall. Unjustly, in my view.
1) I think one of the most important things a manager can do is get their players playing with a bit of irrational arrogance, an expectation that they are even better than they are. …
November 24, 2025 at 8:38 AM
1) I think one of the most important things a manager can do is get their players playing with a bit of irrational arrogance, an expectation that they are even better than they are. …
Not good!
[OptaJoe] 0.07 & 0.1 - Tottenham Hotspur are responsible for the two lowest xG totals in a Premier League game this season, against Arsenal (0.07) and Chelsea (0.1). Concern.
November 23, 2025 at 8:09 PM
Not good!
It's odd that people persist with thinking that if you put everyone behind the ball and give the opponent possession and territory, you're going to defend successfully from an even game state. These are superficial things. Possession & territory are important for defending!
November 23, 2025 at 7:41 PM
It's odd that people persist with thinking that if you put everyone behind the ball and give the opponent possession and territory, you're going to defend successfully from an even game state. These are superficial things. Possession & territory are important for defending!