Spurs won again. For the 3rd time 7 days. Swansea, Newcastle, Burnley; we even won a league match at home. And that never happens. Lamela scored a scorcher, starting to pay off his (outrageous) price-tag already. Its only been 18 months and that must be his third league goal. But more importantly, as the young Argie swept in from the right wing, cut inside and hit a stunning left-foot curling shot inside the angle of the goal, other than the lack of ear flappage it could have been Gareth (the Lord) Bale. Who himself, sorry, Himself, could not have had a worse, protracted start for Spurs. Harry Kane is now a god too. Just with a small ‘g’ for the moment. But he keeps on scoring and that is a price above rubies. Which is probably just what we’ll sell him for next year, when he’s really fantastic.

But it was a good weekend for football, not just for Spurs. Unless you support Newcastle, Hull, West Brom, Palace, Stoke or perhaps even Arsenal on the logic that if Liverpool’s draw felt like a win then Arsenal’s must, quid pro quo, feel like defeat. And the Arse had 35% possession during that match. Their lowest ‘since records began’. So for shitty performances, this was Arsenal’s Tsunami, their Hurricane Dorothy, 17 feet of snow in 2 hours. That kind’a day. There again, they drew? If you can play your worst and still draw, how bad can ya be? Or how bad can Liverpool be? For not capitalising on it?

Manchester City had no such problems. Which they rarely do. But only if Toure and Silva are both playing well. Aguero they miss but survive, Yaya and little David are way more important. And sadly, they’re both pretty fit.

At least until they go to Stoke. The pre-emergency ward of the Premiership. The Britannia. Where the fit and healthy go to die. Where the line between ‘physicality’ and ‘common assault’ becomes blurred. Like Spurs, over dozens (literally) of managers, thousands of players, decades of time, maintain their total devotion to ‘the beautiful game’, to fast, flowing, pretty football, transcending all those who might change it (for something more productive, even), so Stoke are the Rottweilers of the league. Different players, different managers, their devotion to ‘the ugly game’ is as enduring as it is bloody. And it was bloody last night. Oddly, referees seem to downgrade offenses at that stadium. So a blatant red-card, stud-up lunge is awarded a mere yellow. Well, its Stoke, what d’ya expect?? they seem to echo. To get a straight red someone’s pulse has to actually stop for more than 25 seconds. Or a limb severed.

The win of the weekend though was QPR’s after being 2-0 down at home to West Brom. Harry Rednapp’s advanced twitching mode ensured the win, as it tends to go into overdrive with every goal his team concedes.

And now its Christmas time. Or ‘football time’ as some of us think of it.

Happy eve of Xmas eve.

A xxxx