A small supporter in a white shirt stands beside the middle of three bollards outside a stadium while a dark-clad silhouetted manager looks on from behind.

Match ReportThe High Road Herald

Adarabioyo Thrives In De Zerbi Back Three, So Supporter Takes Middle Of Three Bollards Outside Stadium

Desmond Parry · Chief Football Correspondent20 October · Reading time: one pint

A column on a football website says Tosin Adarabioyo benefited most from Roberto De Zerbi's switch to a back three against Coventry City on Monday night, and the forecourt has three bollards in a row.

A Tottenham man arrived at the stadium forecourt at 8:40am on Tuesday and took up a position in the middle of three bollards, where he intends to remain until he has been covered on both sides.

The move follows a column on a football website arguing that the heart of a back three is the easiest role on the pitch. The piece quotes Kylian Mbappé as saying centre back is the easiest position, and adds that the man in the middle sees everything and is rarely required to defend out wide.

The column goes on to say that Tosin Adarabioyo, making his first Premier League start for the club against Coventry City on Monday night, was the summer arrival who benefited most from Roberto De Zerbi's switch to three at the back.

The Herald understands the man read the word easiest at 7:15am and the word benefited at 7:16am, and left the house at 7:20am without finishing the article.

It says you see the whole pitch from the middle. I can see the whole car park. It's basically the same thing.

He has confirmed that the bollard to his left is on his left and the bollard to his right is on his right, and describes the arrangement as working well so far. A reference point, which the column says is often available to the man in the middle, has been identified as a bin.

The column also notes that Kevin Danso has endured a tough start to his Sunderland loan. The man said he had not considered this, and does not expect the bollards to be loaned out.

At time of going to press he had shut down nothing, but stated he had not yet been asked to.

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Five identical teacups line up on a table, each nearer to a small footballer seen from behind, while a scout in a flat cap leans in toward him.

Paper TalkThe High Road Herald

Spurs Monitoring River Plate's Pereyra Is Reported Five Times Over Tea, Each Time A Little Closer

Philippa Crane · Media Editor20 October · Reading time: one pint

The Touchline, citing Ekrem Konur, says Tottenham are monitoring River Plate's 18-year-old Lautaro Pereyra, whose contract runs until 2028 with a €100m release clause, and the Herald counted five versions before the pot was empty.

A report that Tottenham are monitoring River Plate's 18-year-old attacking midfielder Lautaro Pereyra reached a North London kitchen table on Tuesday morning in five versions, none of which contained anything the first did not.

The original, shared by The Touchline on X and credited to Ekrem Konur, states that Spurs are monitoring the player, that his contract runs until 2028 and that it carries a release clause of €100m. It is a short report. It was, by the fifth reading, the longest thing in the house.

By the second outlet, monitoring had become closely tracking. By the third, Tottenham's recruitment radar had turned toward South America, a journey it is understood to have made without leaving the building.

The fourth version noted that European scouts had been turning heads, which the Herald was unable to verify, as heads are not usually reported to be turned by scouts.

That's a lot of words for monitoring. I'll have another slice.

Throughout all five versions the clause remained at €100m. River Plate's awareness of European interest, and the arrival of January, were each reported as separate developments, in the manner of weather.

Every version closed by observing that whether Spurs formalise their interest remains to be seen. The Herald can confirm that it remains to be seen, and that it was still to be seen at the end of the fifth.

The householder then read the report aloud a sixth time, for the benefit of the kettle.

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