The Lab (Tottenham Hotspur Podcast)

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 a real football identity again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 on Keith Andrews despite being ninth, why football discourse has gone fully binary, and the moment we knew Spurs were cooked when Vicario started time wasting after an hour. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 can handle the Premier League right now, and what Spurs even do if he comes back when Romero and Van de Ven are already nailed-on starters. Plus a quick detour into what smart development actually looks like and why rushing the steps is rarely worth it. Sign up to Harry's incredible work here on Patreon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 foundation underneath. We also get into what “risk” actually is, why U-shape football drives us mad, Brennan Johnson’s place in the system, and why every player Harry speaks to says the same thing about Archie Gray. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 much as XG. We finish on Brentford, Xavi Simons, Spurs’ search for a left winger, January rumours and a quick plug for Tom’s Spurs book Miracle in Bilbao. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices