I’ve been doing my best this week to catch up on some regular hoddle features I haven’t been able to get round to lately because of travel, work, etc.
Earlier this week we did a nice rundown of the EFL Championship, brought back Fitzie’s Film and TV Reviews and even did that video game hoddle that you all requested at the start of the season. I’m doing my best to tick off the boxes one by one. I need to update the Track of the Day playlist too.
(Don’t expect any hoddles in the near future on Where
are they now? where hoddle HQ looks at past Spurs players – because I just don’t have the time)
But one I always like to revisit is What are you reading right now? where hoddle HQ checks in with you all on some of the books you’re currently reading.
I’m steadily making my way through A Year In the Death of Ricardo Reis by Jose Saramago, a novel about the final year of Ricardo Reis, one of the dozens of heteronyms (And one of the most famous) created by legendary Portuguese writer Fernando Pessoa.
I’m only about a quarter of the way through the book so far but it is turning out to be a remarkable read. It features those beautiful, long-running sentences that Saramago is known for. The only problem is I haven’t had time in the last two weeks to pick it up.
That needs to change, and it will be a significant part of my weekend plans. I hope the next time we check in I’ll be nearly done (if not finished) with the book.
Anyways – do share some of the texts you’re reading!
Fitzie’s track of the day: Shouldn’t Have Took More Than You Gave, by Dave Mason
And now for your links:
The Athletic ($$): “The lessons Tottenham Hotspur can learn from the Premier League’s Great Escapes”
Alasdair Gold: “Tottenham fined and warned by UEFA over ‘improper conduct’ and two other incidents”
The Independent: “How Rochdale and York stole the Premier League’s thunder with a title decider for the ages”
ESPN: “Soccer’s 2025-26 Watchability rankings, from Bayern Munich to Wolves”
The Telegraph: “BBC axes Football Focus after 52 years”
