Kitchee v Itchy courtesy of our man in the 香港 stands, Ufluckinplic!
Yep believe it or not there is no word for Tottenham in Cantonese (Spurts now goes to google translate) so we are simply called Hotspur in Cantonese which to a native English speaker sounds very much like ‘Itchy’, which led to a few tongue-tied conversations with the locals!
I know some of you watched the game so I won’t bore you with a blow by blow account, which would be impossible anyway as they were serving up 1 Litre glasses of beer or as my mate said a 1 litre pint, he’s not blessed with too many brain cells and had even less by the end of the evening.
The days leading up to the game had been the usual mixture of training sessions with kids, which according to many of my friends who attended were excellent with all the squad and management and backroom staff enjoying the experience. Having been here for 10 years now this is the 3rd time I have seen Spurs in Hong Kong.
I did a match report for HH back in 2009 when Modric was in the team, feck’
Have I been on this blog that long?! Sorry I digress…This is their first trip since they have sponsored with AIA, the exposure this has given Spurs along with their growing influence in the last two title races has increased the size of the fanbase no end. It is not an understatement to say it has exploded across Hong Kong and Asia.
The other factor is Son, this guy has an immense fan base not just in Korea but across Asia. It should be seen to be believed.
Prior to kick off and having battled through the mass of bodies coming to the game, I found myself queueing at the bar where a fellow Yid introduced himself (he liked my Shelf Side t-shirt).
He’d flown in from Dubai where he now lives and works for the same architect firm who designed the new stadium. I asked how it’s going and his answer was “Levy is a f#cking nightmare” to this comment my heart sank momentarily.
He said he’s a pain to deal with but what is being delivered is a stadium that will set new boundaries for all stadiums. The front row of seating will be closer to the pitch than WHL was and he said that the new Paxton Road will be fantastic, apparently there is a debate around the type of seats, fixed or the flap down type. Levy’s view is flap down because he seems keen on the idea of the South Stand standing for matches, but to keep within the law and the regulations seats will be provided.
There also is some confusion on how the NFL seating for the teams will work but since I have zero interest in NFL I’m not concerned.
My biggest question was will it be finished on time, he replied most definitely.
They genuinely appear to have no concerns around delivery and not just telling Levy what he wants to hear. He was genuinely excited to see this ground get finished and can’t wait to go, he believes the acoustics will be incredible and the noise levels deafening, so depending how we play and the ‘type’ of noise coming from the terraces stands should provide an interesting atmosphere.
As for the game, well to have 27,568 turn up is testament to the growing fanbase we are acquiring, although not all Spurs fans the clear majority were. To see a couple of kids sitting a few rows over from me in their Arsenal shirts was amusing and when they held up the Wenger Out banner that was a highlight of my evening. They couldn’t quite grasp why I kept shouting at them “No, Wenger In” but happily posed for a picture with their banner LOL!
The good thing about the match was it wasn’t your typical end of season PR match, even with this game the boys clearly wanted to win. A few hefty challenges were going in with Sonny being on the end of a few dodgy ones.
Bonzo was full of tricks and flicks and to me looks like he is either 100% happy at the club or the Cheshire grin was that of a bloke who knows he’s about to double his wage packet and run really fast up and down the pitch ply his trade in Manchester. I suspect the latter.
Vinny looked lively with a point to prove and the fact that I managed to capture his goal from open play on video means I possibly have a collector’s item in years to come! As for Sissoko, playing centre midfield against the Hong Kong champions he still managed to look pony and the sooner he is gone the better.
He can also take NoKanDo with him, I hear some saying that he was MOTM, well I don’t know who or what they were watching. I found he would often overrun the ball or move in field instead into congested areas and run into trouble. He is not PL standard and should be got rid of, his turn of pace is impressive but he looks like Walker playing further forward.
Lesniak I like the look of and not just because predictive text always puts in Lesbian instead but he is very like Winks. Both play with their head up and like to move the ball forward quickly and keep moving themselves. It will be interesting to see whether he is around the first team next year but personally I reckon a loan season would be a good move for him. The other youngster that caught my eye was Miller who played LWB in the second half, although he kept asking for the ball it was rarely given to him which was a shame as his close control and ability to glide past opposing players was impressive and he has bit of pace to him as well. One to keep an eye on for thefuture.
Sterling up front until he scored I didn’t really see anything there to suggest anything special but then again, a certain Mr Kane was once looked at that way.
The atmosphere throughout the match was lively with chants of Everywhere we go…. being heard regularly. The locals in the crowd were generally thrilled to see Premier League players in Hong Kong as you only see them on tv. Trips like these may seem pointless to a lot of you back home but are very worthwhile.
The only alternative is to fly in to see a game and what sort of lunatic(s) would do that from far flung locations. Hmmmm…
The biggest cheer of the evening was reserved for Kane, in fact at one point I thought there was going to be a stampede in the South Stand as fans rushed down for closeups as he was warming up in front of them. His appearance on the pitch to replace Sonny was met with an increase in noise level which my video can only mildly do justice. His customary goal from a Trippier cross was expected by all in the
Stadium and he didn’t let them down. We have the Barclays Asia Trophy coming to Hong Kong in July with the Bindippers, Leicester, WBA and Crystal Palace on show. So, after going a few years with no PL teams visiting we’ve now got them queueing up to come. It will again be a full house and for me a chance to run the rule over the Scousers.
A very enjoyable evening had and always good for us expats to get a chance to see ‘our’ team. I’m looking forward to attending the new stadium and to how we deal with the season at Wembley. Selling some of the deadwood and a couple of proven PL league players to boost the bench would comprise a good summer’s business for me.
A marquee signing would be good but no one springs to mind, but let’s just get the business done early.
Onwards & upwards, COYS
Ufluckinplic.
