https://padlet.com/aketherz/n5kd9tafg7bn3yhl Audere Est Facere - To Dare Is To Do en-us 2021-09-03 16:04:39 UTC 2026-02-20 10:07:03 UTC hello@padlet.com aketherz https://padlet.com/aketherz/n5kd9tafg7bn3yhl/wish/1716346574 In conclusion, I could discuss Tottenham, the club, the history, the fans, the current squad, my personal connection, and what it all means to me, ALL DAY. I wake up at 7 AM just to watch them on some days, and oh golly, does that stink when it’s a nil-nil “snoozefest” (there are action packed 0-0 too, contrary to what haters may say). I’m going to link a video of one of my favorite players, Mousa Dembélé, a Belgian midfielder that played for Spurs from 2012 until 2019. He was a unicorn of a player who was big and strong at 6”1,’ but had “dancin’ feet” and had the ability to shrug off and glide past players with ease. The way he played is commonly known as the “drunken sailor.” Due to his center of mass having to be so low, that to shift his weight effectively makes it look as though he is waddling around with a pegleg or the like. He never quite had a scoring touch, but he was such a joy to watch.]]> 2021-09-04 04:18:17 UTC https://padlet.com/aketherz/n5kd9tafg7bn3yhl/wish/1716346574 aketherz https://padlet.com/aketherz/n5kd9tafg7bn3yhl/wish/1716347547 Tottenham, which is a tightly run financial operation, moreso than many clubs (e.g. Manchester City, Chelsea), opened up a new world-class, state-of-the-art stadium during Poch’s tenure, while also managing to neglect the team having signed no new players for a full calendar year, something which had never been done in the EPL before. It was truly a miracle that Pochettino made the team work as hard and well as it did, for as long as he did with the resources available. While achieving many emotional highs, but no trophies during his tenure, it eventually came to an end as all things do; and a short 5 months after reaching the Champions League Final, the second largest sporting event after the World Cup Final, he was sacked in November of 2019 ]]> 2021-09-04 04:20:19 UTC https://padlet.com/aketherz/n5kd9tafg7bn3yhl/wish/1716347547 aketherz https://padlet.com/aketherz/n5kd9tafg7bn3yhl/wish/1716347611 I had previously been flirting with the idea of supporting Tottenham as I didn’t have an allegiance to any team. They were a well-run organization that was growing and had a very active and respectable fanbase that I felt that I could maybe associate with. Mauricio Pochettino was the current manager of Tottenham, having being appointed in 2014, after previously managing EPL side, Southampton. He is an Argentine who likes his sides to play a press heavy (regain possession as high-up the pitch as possible), possession-based game, with intricate passing around the opponents final third. It is very exciting soccer when done well, but takes an incredibly high level of fitness from the squad that must be drilled and developed. While it can be fun, it is taxing and can become difficult for players to remain motivated after many years of this type of demanding training.]]> 2021-09-04 04:20:27 UTC https://padlet.com/aketherz/n5kd9tafg7bn3yhl/wish/1716347611 aketherz https://padlet.com/aketherz/n5kd9tafg7bn3yhl/wish/1716347863 By the fall of 2016 I had started to really dive into the history of the club, subsequently discovering the strong contingent of Jews that support Tottenham. In pre-Covid times, on match days there would be a rabbi who would chant and lead a procession from one of the local pubs to the stadium for the match. I knew none of this before I began to love Spurs, but the more I learned the more I identified with the culture surrounding Tottenham—the team and also Tottenham—the fans.]]> 2021-09-04 04:20:57 UTC https://padlet.com/aketherz/n5kd9tafg7bn3yhl/wish/1716347863 aketherz https://padlet.com/aketherz/n5kd9tafg7bn3yhl/wish/1716347925 While I didn’t leave the match with any affirmations about who I would support, I slowly grew to love Tottenham over the next year and by the following summer was a full-blown ‘yid.’ This term which is a colloquial term for diehard Tottenham fans, is also a derogatory slur towards Jewish people or people of Jewish decent. I am Jewish and was raised so, with the bar-mitzvah to boot, and find it quite interesting how this group is attempting to repossess the meaning of a word that had historically been vitriol. There are non-Jewish fans that also use this word in an endearing way to show support. In contrast, of course there is also antisemitism, with major instances having happened since I started supporting in 2015/16. It is an interesting topic that has interesting connotations in regard to the idea of ‘repossessing meaning’ of a word like that.]]> 2021-09-04 04:21:05 UTC https://padlet.com/aketherz/n5kd9tafg7bn3yhl/wish/1716347925 aketherz https://padlet.com/aketherz/n5kd9tafg7bn3yhl/wish/1716348017 In the summer of 2015, after developing a newfound appreciation for soccer over the previous year, I was lucky enough to be able to attend the MLS All-Star Game in Denver. I had only been to one professional soccer match previously and was incredibly excited to watch the MLS All-Star Team vs the young and up-and-coming Tottenham. The match was a blast. MLS won 2-1, with Brazilian legend, Kaká, scoring a penalty for MLS and Tottenham striker, Harry Kane, belting a dynamite shot from outside the 18-yard box for Tottenham’s lone strike.]]> 2021-09-04 04:21:16 UTC https://padlet.com/aketherz/n5kd9tafg7bn3yhl/wish/1716348017 aketherz https://padlet.com/aketherz/n5kd9tafg7bn3yhl/wish/1716348117 Tottenham Hotspur Football Club are soccer team based out of London, England, and primarily compete in the English Premier League. The club has a storied history, originally being founded in 1882. My personal history and relationship with the team and organization begins in 2015, a year after the appointing of current Paris Saint-Germain manager, Mauricio Pochettino. ]]> 2021-09-04 04:21:27 UTC https://padlet.com/aketherz/n5kd9tafg7bn3yhl/wish/1716348117