The Lab (Tottenham Hotspur Podcast)

We’re joined by Luca from JFTV to get the Juventus perspective on Igor Tudor and what Tottenham fans can expect over the coming months. We talk about how Tudor steadied Juve in a difficult spell, his strengths as a man manager, the tactical tweaks he tends to make, and whether he really is the right kind of character to guide Spurs through a tense run in. If you’re wondering who Tudor is and why h...

We’re back with Harry Brooks to talk through Tottenham’s next manager problem, and why it feels like two jobs in one: steady the ship now, then take us forward. We dig into Pochettino as the obvious unifier, Helberg as the exciting left field option, and what De Zerbi, Glasner and Iraola would actually mean in terms of style, control, chaos, and whether the club has the stomach for another intense...

We get into Romero’s Instagram post and whether “disgrace” was a translation issue or another not-so-subtle dig at the people running Spurs. From a historically dead January window to PSR reality, loan market weirdness, and why the club feels completely directionless, we ask the big one: did we actually try and fail, or just choose not to act? Plus: how much slack does Frank get when the squad is...

We’re joined by sports psychologist Dan Abrahams to talk about what’s really happening inside a player’s head when the pressure hits. Dan explains his “ANTS” idea (automatic negative thoughts), why mistakes snowball, and how crowd emotion can seep into decision-making. We also get into “game face” as a practical tool, the difference between high and low performance mindsets, and why culture matter...

We stop doing the “everyone’s rubbish” routine and actually audit the squad. What’s a genuine upgrade, what’s just frustration, and who simply doesn’t fit. Vicario and the modern keeper problem, Dragusin as the obvious sale, Udogie’s injuries, Porro’s trade off, midfield balance (and the Paulinha debate), the Kulusevski and Maddison contract time bomb, and why Tel is the one attacker we’re buildin...

We’re back with Harry Brooks and we get stuck into Conor Gallagher to Spurs, why he’s basically plug and play, and why managers love him. We talk about what he actually gives Spurs off the ball, how he can become the press trigger we’ve been missing, and why his engine and discipline make him such a reliable week to week performer. There’s also a bit on Valiz likely heading back to Brazil, a quick...

“Brazilian fans are brutal… the training ground is being invaded… any kind of malcontent he will see in N17, he’s already been through it all in Santos.” We’re joined by South American football expert Tim Vickery as Spurs close in on 19-year-old Santos left-back Joao Souza. Tim explains why fans feel trepidation about South American imports, then makes the case for why this one’s different: Souza...

We sit down with The Athletic's Dan Kilpatrick to talk about the weird new Spurs emotion: numbness. Dan explains how a decade in the press box switched off the “fan brain”, why he’s now trying to work out what kind of supporter he even wants to be, and why watching Spurs can feel like booking time off just to be annoyed. From Romero’s captaincy posts and the club’s outside image, to Frank’s grip o...

We’re back with Anatole Pang to talk about the bit of Spurs you never really see: the structure, the decision-making, and why everything keeps looping back to the manager taking the heat. We get into the missing director of football role, how long proper turnarounds actually take, why the squad feels like it was built without a plan, and what has to change in the next 6 to 12 months if Spurs want...

We’re joined by Adam Rosenbaum, Brentford season ticket holder and fan culture photographer, after a grim nil nil where Spurs looked like they had no interest in winning. We talk about what Thomas Frank’s Brentford actually were, why none of it is showing up at Tottenham, and whether this is tactics, players, confidence, or just the job swallowing him whole. Plus we get into Brentford fans turning...

We’re back with coach Harry Brooks to deep-dive on wunderkid Luka Vuskovic and why the hype is getting silly for an 18-year-old centre-back on loan at Hamburg. We chat through what makes him so dominant, why his aerial numbers are outrageous, how he plays off both feet, and why he keeps popping up with goals like he’s a striker. We also get into the one obvious weakness in his profile, whether he...

We’re back with Harry Brooks to talk about what football’s turned into, why so many players default to the safe option, and how control has started squeezing the life out of decision making, even at youth level. Then we drag it back to Spurs, what Thomas Frank might be getting wrong, why “process vs outcome” matters, and why the club feels like it’s trying routes and patterns without a real founda...

We’re joined by journalist Tom Barclay for a look behind the curtain. We start with Mo Salah’s explosive mix zone interview, the panicking Liverpool press officer and what life is really like in those corridors after full time. Then it’s Spurs: Vicario getting booed, Thomas Frank calling out “true Tottenham fans”, the tension around performances and why supporters still crave moments and vibes as...

We got Kish from LilywhiteLab on to dig into Thomas Frank and the big question around Spurs right now. Why are we so blunt in attack? Why are the tactics so conservative when we have the talent to play a more ambitious brand of football? We go through the double pivot obsession, the back five against Arsenal, and what Frank got wrong with Bentancur and Pallinia sitting in front of it. We ask wheth...

Back in 2021, Spooky and Flav sat down to try and figure out something that’s been baked into supporting Tottenham for generations: why do we hate Arsenal so much? This episode digs into the roots of it all, from the early days of the rivalry to how it plays out in the modern game. What’s interesting now is listening back with a bit of distance and asking whether anything has really changed since...

In this one we sit down with Spurs commentator Rob Daly, the voice living rent free in all our heads after Bilbao. We chat about how he finds the right words in the biggest moments, the art of shutting up and letting the crowd breathe, Clive Allen nearly in tears, academy kids changing games from nowhere, and why podcasts are his cheat code for understanding fan mood. It is a proper love letter to...

This episode on The Lab we took a little detour from our usual look into Tottenham Hotspur culture. We had the chance to sit down with Eddie Hearn and Spurs fan, Commonwealth title holder and British title challenger Sam Gilley. Sam is gearing up for his fight at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on the undercard of Chris Eubank versus Conor Benn 2, so we got into everything around the event, the buil...

We sit down with journalist and author Tom Barclay to unpack Miracle in Bilbao: The Inside Story of the Europa League Triumph, Clowngate, and what really changed tactically in Europe. We talk press room dynamics, Ange’s spiky side, and why the Europa League run was more plan than player mutiny. We get into Thomas Frank’s pragmatism, creativity concerns, and the fan mood at home, plus the Levy shoc...

On The Lab we’re joined by Dan Kilpatrick from The Athletic to look at where Spurs are heading under Thomas Frank. We talk about the defensive foundations being built, the exciting talent still to come back, and how key players like Kulusevski can transform the attack. We get into midfield tweaks, Xavi Simons’ potential, and the big opportunities ahead in the January window with fresh backing from...

Billie joins us representing Change For Tottenham, discussing a fan-led movement to revive the home atmosphere at Spurs. Working alongside Return of the Shelf and THFCFlags, supporters are pushing for a unified singing section, better engagement from the club, and a stadium experience that reflects the passion of Tottenham Hotspur fans. From European away days with flags travelling alongside the t...

This week on The Lab feed I’m sharing something a little different. Iain from the excellent Poddingham Podspur invited me on to talk about how The Fighting Cock began, why I started The Lab, and what drives me to keep making Spurs content. I wasn’t planning to release this here since it was recorded for someone else’s show and it can feel a bit self-indulgent to talk about myself. But listening ba...

Spurs presenter Ben Haines joins The Lab to talk about the Europa League win in Bilbao, how the “Winners” documentary came together, and what changed inside the club under Vinai Venkatesham and Thomas Frank. We get into Ange’s standards, Thomas Frank’s culture work, analysts clipping live during matches, and why increased access has lifted trust among supporters. Ben also shares the story behind S...

We’re joined on The Lab by Anatole Pang to break down Tottenham’s rapid front-office rebuild. We unpack the Lewis family’s stance on takeover bids, why we believe Spurs have created twin “sporting director” roles for Fabio Paratici and Johan Lange, how Vinai Venkatesham is centralising power as CEO, and what all this means for transfers, wages, set pieces, and Tottenham’s long-term football identi...

We’re joined by author Gareth Dace to dive into Tottenham Hotspur’s most formative decade. From Keith Burkinshaw’s progressive blueprint and the revolutionary arrivals of Ardiles and Villa, to Archibald and Crooks igniting White Hart Lane, the sale of Chris Waddle to Marseille, Clive Allen’s 49-goal season, and that deafening 1984 UEFA Cup shootout, this is Spurs in the 80s in full color. We get i...

We're joined by football finance expert Ben White to unpack Tottenham’s £100 million capital injection from the Lewis family. We explain why it is being done as a share issue rather than a loan, how amortisation and PSR shape what Spurs can actually spend, the Macquarie cash-advance story, and why Chelsea’s model is risky. We also talk timing, ownership intent, January vs summer windows, and what...