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star-villager · 4 years

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Ezra: Month 1 of Animal Crossing New Horizons!

Hello all! I’m here to tell my journey of the first month of New Horizons on Cillia Island!

There’ll be lots of pictures! I hope you enjoy! Future updates will probably be daily because this is... long at first... but I promise it slows down!

This post covers 32 days (skipping a few). It is indented to be a fun, long, read! I’ll say it’s a 10-15 minute read just to be on the longer side!

-Ezra; Island Resident Representative; Local Island Decorator; Mayor of Cillia (if it had a mayor hehe!)

Thursday, March 19th, 4pm -7GMT. The virus is present, but just starting. I have been home for not even 24 hours of my job that was supposed to keep me out of town all March. I make a phone call to a local Gamestop, asking if they’re still open, and how the midnight release of Animal Crossing is going to work. The worker tells me I can go pick it up right then, because they’re going to be closing early and had JUST gotten a phone call from corporate that they could give it out early - you can assume what I did /immediately/ after lol.

~~~

Starting was incredibly easy! I’ve had my dead name as my New Leaf Mayor forever, and I loved that city name so Ezra and Cillia it was! And we began! My starting villagers were Cherry and Roald with Cherry Trees (fitting!), and I said I wasn’t gonna restart no matter what... so here we go!

I picked a town that had a West Beach River Mouth as well as a South River Mouth - which matched my town in New Leaf! (The south exit, and the flow of the river - but the west exit would be where my original upper waterfall was so the shape was the same). Picked northern hemisphere (where I am). And placed my house right in a river bend (with the initial plan to section me off into my own island within an island!). Cherry and Roald’s homes were placed along the west-running river right at the top, with not much effort or forethought. Not that it was a bad thing! I knew they wouldn’t be permanent villagers, but wanted to give them some beautiful scenery while they were here.

I can definitely tell that I’m still acting and thinking like a mayor even thought I’m only an island rep. ... this doesn’t change bwahaha!

Day 1 March 19th, was all setup and prep for our REAL day 1! Blathers already was about to have a decent encyclopedia, and I was getting nook miles left and right - already expecting a house instead of a tent the next day. I wasn’t too surprised, I’ve done this song and dance before, and I’m just here to have a great time in my island paradise! Getting Blathers was definitely my highest priority!

Day 2 March 20th, was... difficult... giving 15 things to Blathers one at a time and finding 30 iron for the Nooklings was excruciating lol - but getting fossils and a pole vault to absolutely DECIMATE the weed ecosystem filled me with a glee that I’m sure you can understand. I managed to upgrade my house, get Blathers and Nooks Cranny all in one day *whew*. Now, time to have some fun!

I build my first QR code which was a cool outfit I called PRIDE Coat! It is a black coat with drawstrings and pockets on the front - a lil’ trans flag on the left arm, a bi flag on the right arm, and my (pretty decent!) attempt at a rainbow of paint (in the gay flag colors) falling down my back! And I made an Iwatobi Swim Club Beanie to match the one I wear every day!!

I then played with my Passport a bit to have my title be “Future Fish” which is Free! Eternal Summer (the second season’s) Ending Song!!!! Which I thought was SUPER cute and VERY me. (It’s my second fave anime. I plan on making a Reigisa outfit in the future!!).

Already by the end of Day 2 I had my hair customization options, the tool wheel, and the DIY that I needed to buy. Everything Nook was offering I managed to get my grubby little day 2 hands on! So you KNOW my hair went to pink pigtails IMMEDIATELY. And took /many/ photos. But since my outfits are all the same just imagine the ones you just saw but with pink instead of blonde!

With that it was time to get my 3 villagers that would accompany Cherry and Roald (This correlates to getting the iron for Nooklings!) I wanted to grab the first 3 villagers that I saw just to try some new friends this go around - as I had already planned on making my New Leaf family my permies! So my first three were Ketchup (nice!), Hornsby (Aww!!), and... GALA!?!?

Well how convenient! That was one permie immediately out of the way!! Welcome back, Gala!!! So excited to have you on the island!

Then I caught an Oarfish and saw *GASP* WISP!!!! To which, I immediately ran up to him and demanded he bring my girlfriend, Cece the Squirrel, to the island. He, instead, got spooked, had me collect his spirit, and offered me items. *sigh* Ok - can’t get Cece that way - so I decided to sleep!

How naive I was...

Day 3 March 21st, was both good and bad! I had access to Nooklings, but that was about it. Blathers was getting a crowded amount of critters outside his roped off building, but it would be all worth it, tomorrow. But!! I found my first spider island! Which I sold off to Nooklings and happily went to sleep!

Day 4 March 22nd, had SO MUCH to offer! Blathers, Daisy Mae, Harvy, WHEW. Pretty sure I had a visit from Gulliver either today or yesterday, too! Nothing could POSSIBLY ruin this day!!

Oh how wrong.

How so terribly wrong I was.

Animal Crossing New Horizons is an incredible game that lets you invite so many villagers to your island!

All of them. But 14.

14 Villagers from New Leaf are not available. The Sanrio Characters. And the Amiibo Characters.

No Felyne. No Ganon, Epona, Medli, or W. Link. No Viche or Inkwell. No Rilla, Chai, Morty, or Etoille.

No Toby.

No Chelsea.

...

No Cece.

...

To say that I was devastated would be an understatement. I was absolutely crushed. Not only were 3 of my permies out, but the one villager I couldn’t live without, wasn’t allowed in the game. She didn’t even get a poster.

So I did what any crushed lover would do, and made a memoir to her.

And it started raining. Poetic. (I was only cheered up slightly when I got to catch a Coelacanth!) I didn’t do this until much later (April 4th) but for the sake of not talking about her too much, I would open New Leaf and wrote her a goodbye love letter, which, honestly, makes me tear up whenever I read it.

And I went to sleep.

I have nothing for Day 5 other than scanning all my amiibo cards for the POSTERS which are UNDOUBTEDLY my FAVORITE new feature in the game!!

Day 6, March 24th, GALA MOVED IN! I was so excited, and it was definitely needed. My best friend also came over and we goofed off and we met each other’s villagers! Then I went to an island tour and got A PANSY HYBRID ISLAND!!!! OOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! I went crazy. Absolutely destroyed that ecosystem. I went full feral. MINE. ALL MINE!!!

And I caught my first Sturgeon!! Which was awesome because I only had the rare fish left in my March collection! Trying to get a Golden Trout, I made many many fish bait, and got the 200 clam achievement! Which was exciting because that unlocked “Mermaid” for titles!! I doubt I’ll change from Future Fish, but Mermaid would be a second pick!

For Day 7 I went to a good friend’s village and desperately tried to make Chiyuki Fujito’s blue dress from Runway de Waratte... it didn’t work... but I like the attempt! (Will send pics in messenger if you’re curious!).

Day 8, March 26th, was the day ISABELLE WAS HERE!!! Welcome to your island paradise, QUEEN. I definitely dressed for the part ;)

This, of course, opened up tunes and flag options! Flag was incredibly easy. It’s going to stay my picture of Cece until she’s added back into the game (which will probably be never, so...)

The tunes was much harder for me. But since I couldn’t think of anything else I made it “SO. NO. CHI. NO. SA. DA. ME.” from the first Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Opening (which is, ironically, what is playing as I type this... SO NO CHI NO SA DA ME <- was written in time with the music playing. Incredible.) It’s definitely not going to be that forever, but for now it makes me giggle!

Nothing for Day 9 except for a SICK tarantula island :) love those furry babes! I also built my campsite! Tomorrow was going to be big!! Who on Earth was going to move in!?

Day 10, March 28th, now, I have what I like to call “chaotic luck”. I’ll catch the bus, but my gosh did I almost miss it. I was absolutely positive I failed that test, and I did, but the question I messed up doesn’t count and I passed! Cece isn’t in the game but do you know who’s at my campsite??

OFFICE

HETEROCHROMIA

TSUNDERE

TRANS

CAT

EXTRAORDINAIRE

RAAAAAAAAAAAYMOND!!!!

Can you even imagine my face??? Can you IMAGINE the jaw drop?? I moved him next to me IMMEDIATELY.

Day 12, March 30th, I saw kicks for the first time!!! Love that funky newsie skunk!

Day 13, March 31st, I saw Flick for the first time!!! Went on a mad tarantula hunt and made BANK. Fun story, I thought both Flick and C.J. were girls, so when I learned Flick was a boy I was really upset because I thought a canon gay ship was now straight, but WHOOPS they’re BOTH boys! 😎 Nice.

I also saw Celeste for the first time!!! Gosh how I missed her!! I actually sat and got all 200 stars in one night, just because of how much I like wishing on falling stars!!!

Day 14, April 1st, The Nightmare Begins. Love him or Hate him, Zipper was here. I won’t go on about the eggs. Everyone talks about the eggs. They sucked, fishing was a nightmare, not a big fan. I would end up not getting all the sakura DIYs which was very upsetting (but I’ll just get them next year). In INCREDIBLE news I got a golden trout!!! Which was the last thing I needed in my March encyclopedia - and it was on to April hunting! Every night thing I could get, I did! So I decided to set up my last 4 houses, and focus on getting K.K. Slider finally to my island!

The first house sold naturally to Pecan! NICE! I love squirrels so much! She was very welcome!

Day 15, April 2nd, in the interest in getting new villagers, I went on a tour and there she was: MERENGUE! She’s, truthfully, not a favorite of mine. She’s SO cute, but not someone I wanted permanently. However, she’s my other best friend’s FAVORITE and she doesn’t have a switch. So, there was NO WAY I wasn’t taking Merengue onto my island. I haven’t sent my friend pics, yet, but I hope I can soon!! She’s gonna be so happy!

Today was the first day I met C.J. which... stunning. Absolutely jaw dropping. I’m SMITTEN with a TAKEN BEAVER. He calls me fashionista. Asks about my anglersona. Takes selfies of/with me. He’s truly the ideal. I’d invite him back any day!

Over the next 3 days, Freya and Bruce move in as my last 2 villagers giving us a grand starting total of: Cherry, Roald, Ketchup, Hornsby, Gala, Raymond, Pecan, Merengue, Freya, and Bruce! Not bad not bad!

Day 19, April 6th, THE BEST GIRL IS HEEERE. LABEL CAME TO MY TOWN FOR THE FIRST TIME. I might have cried, honestly. I cannot believe someone that incredible would want to come to my island. She asked for me to give her an official look. Are you kidding me? Easy breezy. For my perfect outfit she rewarded me a Label Hat. Oh? DESIGNER? I was awestruck. The design was IMPECCABLE. The flavor was IMMACULATE.

One of my villagers also happened to gift me a Pink SPRITE COSTUME??? I, honestly, have never been more in love with an outfit in my entire life??? A pink Peter Pan outfit??? LEGENDARY.

Day 20, April 7th, I don’t quite remember what day K.K. Slider visited the island when I hit my 3 star rating - so we’ll say it was today lol. That meant ISLAND EDITING, but I didn’t know what to do, yet, so I didn’t worry too much about it!

Label’s hat came in MORE COLORS in the store today. YOU BET I bought all of them. The talent. But this meant that I had a pink hat to match my pink sprite costume and you bet I was LIVING my best life. I had also finished the Anklyosaurus which is my FAVORITE dinosaur so I was LIVING it up.

Later, Ketchup would approach me and ask to move. I was happy for her to explore new lands and bid her farewell, and gave her a sweet goodbye. With that, it was hunting time, and I found the perfect villager that would set everything in motion.

Day 22, April 9th, Label VISITS AGAIN!!!!!! Unfortunately, she asked for a sporty look, which I couldn’t pull off perfectly :/ So no new item from her... but my OUTFIT WAS FIRE AND WE WERE MAD CUTE TOGETHER.

Day 23, April 10th, the villager has moved in, the cryptid gyroid herself, COCO!!!

And her moving in gave me a BRILLIANT idea. I’d like to keep it under wraps for now, but I’m so, so, SO happy she’s here!

Day 24, April 11th, The Fishing Tourney. The Summer tourney will be significantly easier for me, now that I know you can double your points by fishing with someone else, but it took me HOURS to collect all the clams and get to 300 points. It wasn’t really worth it, but I love fish so much so I wasn’t going to miss a SINGLE thing. I got that gold trophy and I’m SO proud of myself.

Also my fishing outfit could slay for MILES

Straight Fire.

Day 25, April 12th, With a golden trophy in hand and the last day of eggies, I was feeling really confident. I had the means and the idea to change cliffs + water for a couple days and just... made what my brain came up with! I’ll keep this vague for now, because I’m really excited about the final results! Just know that everyday I edit a little bit more and come up with more ideas!

Day 26, April 13th, Happy Homestuck, Neil Bangs out the Tunes, and Thomas Sanders goes to the Wedding Day!! And it did NOT disappoint. Label for A 3RD TIME!!! She must like me as much as I like her >w<!! Today she gave out her cap!!! It’s, honestly, not my thing, I’d rather stick with the brim hats, but I do think they’re cute!! So I would buy them all the next day! The Able Sister’s haul on Day 27 was oh my gosh amazing!!! They had the cap, of course, but they also had THE OTHER SPRITE COSTUMES!! Which I bought all of them. And now I wear, near exclusively, this outfit in 5 different colors bwahaha!

Day 30, April 17th, I got my first golden item!!! The slingshot! Nice! Over the past few days, I’ve just been designing, moving houses, and building ramps! Learning new myth debunks, stuff like that!

I was also blessed with 3 encounters :OOOO I didn’t know this was even POSSIBLE!?

Day 31, April 18th, Disaster Strikes. I’ve been moving so many homes that I didn’t consider that a villager couldn’t move in because you were already doing a home thing for the day. So when I went to invite camper Gonzo to my town he declined!? I was devastated. He was SO cute and I thought he could move into Bruce’s house to keep the peace of personalities! I think he’s someone in the future who I’ll ask for a poster of or ask for an amiibo card of! I know I’m going to check the campsite first before moving any buildings from here on out! D’:

And that brings us to today,

Day 32, April 19th, one month from the day I started. I’ve been having the TIME of my life! There’s definitely been some ups and downs, but I have a goal in mind and it’s keeping me so focused! I organized an entire flower field today!! Due to a turnip mishap, I happen to be 2 days ahead of everyone, but I have been good about time traveling other than that. This means that I am fortunate enough to get my Nooklings upgrade 2 days early and they’ll be open tomorrow!!! I’m... I’m so excited!!! I NEED more flower seeds!!!!!!!

The future looks incredibly bright on Cillia island, and I cannot wait to hear about everyone else’s month!!

Thank you for your time. Please enjoy these random favorite photos of mine!

#Animal Crossing #ACNH #My Post #Cillia #Town of Cillia #Ezra #Island Rep Ezra #Mayor Ezra #Star-Villager #LONG #LONG POST #Animal Crossing New Horizons #Pictures #Photos #New Horizons

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blog-ughmovies-blog · 7 years

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5 in 1 Reviews #1

5 Films

5 Reviews

5 Years

THE LEGEND OF TARZAN

It's quite difficult for me to express my thoughts about The Legend of Tarzan consistently without zipping off into tangents referring to everything from The Jungle Book (2016), Zulu (1964) to The Man Who Would Be King (1975), or without starting a conversation about the ethics of a white man saving a black nation because he is stronger and seemingly knows the land better than everyone else who lives there, so bare with me whilst I try and focus the review down to the bare minimum positives and negatives this film provides.

Firstly – The Legend of Tarzan is better than I expected. Its generic plot is helped by some extremely interesting characters, specifically the surprisingly badass Jane, and a plethora of exciting moments. The dynamic between man and nature provided from beginning to end makes for some heart-warming and terrifying sequences as well and helps paint the bad guys with one brush which, whilst usually an issue, is part and parcel with a summer popcorn flick. Most importantly, though, The Legend of Tarzan is damn entertaining, and, with a swift 1 hour 45 minute runtime, it doesn't outstay its welcome, meaning if you're ready to turn most of your brain off, relax and enjoy something that's simply fun and exciting, you'll be more than happy.

Unfortunately, the main issue that is noticeable throughout the film is its sloppy editing. Whilst editor Mark Day is certainly talented, having edited all of David Yates' Harry Potter films and the stunning Ex Machina, this is the closest he has come to an action film, and he struggles far too often. Within scenes, the editing is choppy and unfocused – making it hard for a viewer to properly keep up with what is happening. It almost feels Bourne-esque – yet the Bourne films edited the film in this way to create a specific style, something close to guerilla filmmaking, whereas The Legend of Tarzan has a firm foot in the “epic film” camp, making everything seem messy and lazy. In between scenes, the editing is simply poor, forcing the narrative to become harder to follow than it really needs to be. Scenes start too late, confusing the viewer once more, and drag on for too long. This really makes the entire thing pretty difficult to enjoy properly – especially when the actual film is so entertaining. It ruins a lot of sequences and makes each fight scene a jumbled mess.

Of course, it doesn't destroy the film. It's still worth watching – though it falters through a lack of any form of originality in the way it tells it's story – and, in its smooth runtime, it's hardly going to waste much of your time if you hate it.

3/5

You can find it on:

NowTV

Amazon – DVD £4.99, Blu-Ray £7.99

JACK REACHER: NEVER GO BACK

The first Jack Reacher was a surprisingly great film, having a decent amount of variety, some excellent scenes and a top notch action performance by Tom Cruise. Adding to that, the villain was Werner Herzog, who was, like always, brilliant. When I heard the sequel would be directed by one of the best current directors Edward Zwick, I was extremely excited. Unfortunately, my excitement was dissipated when I turned the film on.

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back is a collection of shots of Tom Cruise Cobie Smulders running away from people. The story is muddy at best and laughably boring at worst, and the main villain is just some tough bloke. It is far and away the dullest and most generic action film I have seen in a long while – saved only by the relationship between Reacher and the girl he believes to be his daughter, Samantha (Danika Yarosh). This relationship plays out quite nicely, with them both hating each other in the beginning and growing closer as the film goes along. What's really good about this, however, is how smooth this transition seems. They both begin to notice, as the film plods along pretty poorly, how important one another has been to their own survival. Samantha helps them solve the mystery they are presented with, and Reacher keeps her safe. They're both written pretty decently and, to be honest, it was my favourite part of the film.

On the other hand, the relationship between Smulder's Major Turner and Reacher is so painfully fake it genuinely hurts. There is no reason for them to get along other than, get this, a set of dull phone calls made at the beginning of the film. They have no other reason to care about each other than poorly written dialogue that lasts all of 3 minutes. It is undoubtedly the worst way to set up a character relationship. If you compare that to the character development presented through phone calls in When Harry Met Sally, which made us of great, real dialogue and fantastic performances, you'll see just how much they missed the ball here.

The action sequences are decent for the most part. The finale is actually really quite enjoyable if a little short lived, and the ending is great. The rest of the film? Honestly, not good at all. I was so disappointed at the end of this film because I was desperate for it to live up to its great predecessor. Unfortunately, it failed, and this franchise is most likely dead in the water.

2/5

You can find it on:

NowTV

Amazon – DVD £10, Blu-Ray £10

MIKE AND DAVE NEED WEDDING DATES

This turgid, unfunny mess is one of the most utterly ridiculous and painful attempts at humour I have ever perceived. Boring, yawn-worthy and simply humourless, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates takes a variety of talented actors, specifically Zac Efron and Anna Kendrick, and wastes them. It treads the same ground of every film before it and creates a picture that is entirely soulless.

There's not much to say that's positive – other than one or two of the jokes kind of land, but barely. The negatives? A dull plot, a painful script and wasted performances help leave a bad taste in any viewers mouth.

It's not even worth talking about anymore. The best thing about it is that its mercifully kind of short – but not short enough. Simply don't watch it.

1/5

You can find it on:

NowTV

Amazon – DVD £5.36, Blu-Ray £7.00

CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE

On the other end of the comedy spectrum we have Central Intelligence, a film a lot better and a lot funnier than it has any right to be. Starring Kevin Hart in the same role he usually plays – a normal, though overtly excitable guy who gets himself in trouble and screams his way out of it, and The Rock, who is fantastic, Central Intelligence follows a loner and a cool kid from high school who meet up again as adults through Facebook. The plot is funny, but it has enough twists and turns to make it feel like a pretty great caper as a whole. The script the plot is wrapped in is genuinely funny too, filled with rapid-fire jokes that, whilst not always landing, hit often enough to get a bundle of laughs from the end product.

Let's not beat around the bush here, though. Kevin Hart is pretty decent, but The Rock is fantastic. A great actor in his own right, his comedic chops are brilliant – namely due to his expressions and sarcasm. His humour seems to lean pretty heavily on those two things, and somehow he pulls it off brilliantly, with fantastic delivery and great comic timing on top. This film is The Rock with Special Guests, and, as much as that shouldn't work, it really does.

In the end, the film works because, as a whole, it is funny. Not spectacularly so – but enough to make it an enjoyable experience. Its finale is a little limp and it does drag here and there, but through its surprisingly brisk feeling 1 hour 47 it doesn't get boring. Give it a watch – you won't regret it.

3.5/5

You can find it on:

Now TV

Amazon – DVD £4.95, Blu-Ray £8.00

WARCRAFT

Let's save the best until last – Warcraft is extremely enjoyable. Based off the hit game series, of which the lore for is unimaginably expensive, Warcraft jumped dangerously into the video game movie waters. As someone who couldn't care less about the game series, I and many others felt the film was great.

The main positives Warcraft brings to the table are its interesting story, a decent script, some great leads and an amazing performance by Toby Kebbell. Starting with the story, it only scratches the surface of the overall Warcraft tale in order to avoid confusing its unacquainted audience, yet it tells it so smoothly and beautifully that it's hard not to be enthralled. It's effective and smart enough to keep most anyone entertained until its final moments as long as you're a fantasy fan.

Everyone does a fantastic job in their respective roles – but Toby Kebbell is the standout star here. His performance as Durotan is incredible and could force the so-called “feels” out of a stone. The CGI used to create his character is even more impressive, however, making the slightest movement of his face register to the audience, turning a monster into something so much more tangible and meaningful. Ben Foster and Travis Kimmel are both fantastic as well, though they mainly play pretty generic fantasy roles and could be interchanged pretty easily. Paula Patton, however, is great and feels like she couldn't be replaced by any other actress. She is, as a whole, perfect for the part, even if the role she plays is a little forgettable due to the constraints of a brisk, yet decently complex storyline that leaves her in the dust at times.

Warcraft does fall victim to the failures of The Legend of Tarzan, however, in the form of its editing. Its makes for some confusing moments, such as where characters are in set pieces. It doesn't allow for the audience to be aware of the whereabouts of each character within each scene, making it so, when one of them pops up behind some cover, some head scratching follows. It's not a giant issue, but it is pretty infuriating, making the cut feel a little choppy and amateurish.The tone of the film is a little messy too – it tries to be extremely serious when dealing with the orcs, yet suddenly changes to a far more light-hearted tone when Fimmel is on the screen, trying to squeeze a heroic lead out of him when it isn't really necessary. The film would actively benefit from having a pretty stable tone, and it would probably make a lot more of the dramatic moments feel more powerful.

As you can guess, though, Warcraft is a great time, and a worthy watch for anyone, fantasy fan or not. At just over 2 hours, it does feel decently long, but never drags like other fantasy films can. This is a winner for anyone.

You can find it on:

NowTV

Amazon – DVD £4.91, Blu-Ray £7.79

RANKING (Worst to Best)

5. Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates

4. Jack Reacher: Never Go Back

3. The Legend of Tarzan

2. Central Intelligence

1. Warcraft

#warcraft #central intelligence #legend of tarzan #tarzan #live action #jack reacher #tom cruise #5 #in #1

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dsmspurs · 6 years

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My THFC Thoughts on 2017

We are hours from wrapping up 2017, and in contemplation, decided it would be worth an attempt to put the year, as it pertained to Spurs, on wax. Hope you enjoy.

Lesson’s Learned:

Tottenham had an arguably tumultuous past twelve-months, and I certainly don’t mean that in a negative way, but more in terms of a reflection on the ups and downs that the squad has recently seen. A second consecutive season in which Spurs pushed for the title is something to hang the club’s hat on, being that the club’s stated target was to make consecutive Champions League showings. However, with those consecutive seasons of pushing, but subsequently falling short, comes the lingual fact that Tottenham did fall short in consecutive seasons at a time in which titles would have stamped the beginning of a era.

That being said, it is incredibly easy to forget that the club is young, hungry, and littered with real quality. Spurs have seen their $5,000,000 investment in Dele pay off monumentally, both fiscally and with his play on the field. With this, Christian Eriksen is certainly starting to fulfill his hype, Erik Lamela has returned from elongated injury with a vengeance, and Harry Kane, well, he needs to explanation. Furthermore, players such as Harry Winks, Victor Wanyma and Eric Dier insure that Spurs will have a midfield to reckon with for the foreseeable future. It is hard to argue that titles are not en route to Mauricio Pochettino and his men, even if City are miles ahead in the Premier League. Do not forget that Tottenham achieved the highest points-total of anyone in the Champions League group stage, and they did so after being labeled as favorite to fail from the “group of death,” a monumental achievement for the young side and it’s green manager.

So, while the club continue to look back on it’s shortcomings in the league, it must follow it’s Manager in putting it in the past, and looking towards the future. In looking at the West Ham loss, the Chelsea loss the season before, or anything else, you can’t put the third and second place finishes at the hands of those individual performances, as it takes an entire season to become champions, and this would have become evident to the players. With each opportunity missed, a lesson was learned, and both the individual player and the team as a whole, under the guidance of Pochettino, will use it to be more prepared when the next opportunity comes. The manager and the player certainly won’ t forget this, and the fans must equally-remember such.

Kyle Walker (& Serge Aurier):

I will start by rightfully admitting that I have referred to the man as a snake. I could live with his decision to leave, I really could, but what I couldn’t handle were two things: Firstly, the right-back went to the manager months before the season had concluded, in the middle of a title-fight, and let him know that his heart was no longer at the club. And secondly, when he did make his move, he was quick to praise his new manager while subsequently insinuating that his previous manager wasn’t quite on the same level. This, to the fan an the manager equally, was unacceptable.

However, again, I can understand the desire to move back to where his wife’s family resides, and I will do my best to continue without bias.

Walker has undoubtedly been fantastic this season for the league-leaders. His presence on the right flank, making the entire length of the pitch his, has been instrumental in City’s ability to punish it’s opponents. To say that Spurs aren’t lacking his pace and ability would be as stubborn as opinions come, so I will not go that far, as Walker again, has been fantastic. Furthermore, seeing City prosper from his play does make one think that strengthening a direct-rival is never a positive thing, no matter the fee for that player. However, I am not prepared to say that Tottenham are not better off for the sale of Walker and the following purchase of Serge Aurier.

Aurier comes from a tumultuous past, having used homophobic slang to the press, and having his a constable (police officer) during a night out. Typically, this wouldn’t be the sort of personality that Pochettino would go for, but the manager saw something in the young Ivorian that drew interest. The right-back was obviously talented, and as Mauricio told the press, he was confident that he could help the player grow both personally and professionally.

The player did take some time to settle in, but as of date, it appears that the manager has handed the shirt to Aurier. His consecutive starts speaks to such, but do expect plenty of rotation, as Pochettino favors rotation at the fullback position above all else, being they are so crucial for his system. Aurier brings pace, power, precision and an obvious ability to get balls into the box, which again, is crucial to the system. At just 24 years of age, he will have plenty of time to grow, and by the time he is Walker’s age (27), his prime, it is hard to believe that he will not be giving teams a real headache down the right-side, doing so in a manner that lacks nothing in comparison to Walker.

So, while losing Walker was a sour-blow to the gut of all associated with the club, I am comfortable saying that we are no worse-off than we were with Walker, especially in having two quality fullbacks down the right-side who want to be at the club.

Spurs in Nashville:

Okay, Okay, you had to be there, you really did. Therefore, I won’t go on forever, but Nashville Spurs and their crew did us fans proud down there. The entire experience, from the opening social to the after-party, was top-notch. The first night, at the Belcourt Taps, a fair few of us lost of voice (and maybe our memories), and I know the entire neighborhood was trying to figure out what was happening. The front patio was rocking and it may very well be the greatest moment of mine as a Spurs fan to-date, including my times at the Lane.

The Group Stage:

Wow, what an incredible ride those six games were. Not only did we show that we are growing as a unit and as a club, we did so in striking fashion with the rest of Europe against us. Son Hueng-Min reminded the world that he is incredibly talented, Harry Winks played the likes of Modric, Kroos, Gotze and Sahin off of the pitch, and Harry Kane bagged himself six Champions League goals to add to his tally and end any speculation that he can’t “do it in Europe.”

The most mind-bending fact in all of this was that two of our three opponents either held the title, or had been playing for it in very recent times. Many factored Spurs out of the running from the beginning, and after their previous group staging showing, it was hard to disagree, but the squad proved all of us wrong. This is the real sign of growth within the organization and allows me to comfortable saying that very good things are on the horizon for the North London club.

Spurs will now face Juventus on the round-of-sixteen, a formidable opponent, but also an opponent that Spurs have beaten on the season already, albeit it was a pre-season match. Juventus boasts a threatening attack and a sturdy defense, but Spurs have fared very well this season against teams that have taken the game to them, as Juventus likely will.

Wembley:

Glad we can finally put that to bed. The “who-doo” nonsense was getting a bit out of hand, and was subsequently becoming very-much unwelcomed within the organization. Spurs have now won the past three matches at home in the league, and have not lost at home since the home-opener to Chelsea. Furthermore, Tottenham smashed both Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, and that in itself is enough to end the discussion that Spurs can’t perform at the national Stadium.

However, looking forward to next year, back at home….

The Premier League, thus-far:

Hard to kick this portion off with a smile on my face, but what can you say? City have been outstanding on the season, and are continuously showing that it is going to be incredibly hard to catch them. They continue to punish their fellow-top-six, and seem to slice through even the most astute of defenses with ease. Spurs are now twenty-two points behind, but do have a game in hand on the table-toppers. With competition from all around us, to win the league would be nothing of the greatest comeback in the league’s history, but it is a wonderful opportunity to continue to push ourselves and grow as a club.

There is a lot stacked against the team this year, and it should not go without mention. Not only is the team playing it’s home matches at an unfamiliar stadium, one that lacks the punch of it’s old ground, but it also is facing plenty of individual hurdles, on the pitch. Two of the staple-players in our back-line are new to the team and the league, and they are being asked to adjust quickly, and are doing so quite-well. Dele Alli is facing the pressure of being a world-wide name for the first time, and Harry Kane is facing expectations that continue to grow with each time he nets. With this, the team’s midfield and defensive generals, Victor Wanyama and Toby Alderweireld, have missed most of the season on injury.

In considering the aforementioned, it’s hard to say that Spurs haven’t dealt with all of their woes with grace and confidence. Harry Winks has been astute, Sanchez has (as previously mentioned) made the adjustment to the starting-eleven with class, and Serge Aurier is finding his feet, all of which will propel Spurs and be silver linings to come from devastating injuries. When Wanyama and Alderweireld return, the team will be well-equipped to make a strong finish and being hanging around, should City slip (drastically).

So, while the title might be out of reach, let’s say that this Premier League second-half is going to be a fantastic opportunity for the team to solidify itself and prepare for the next term, in which the fan-base and the team itself will have high expectations.

The FA Cup:

Not much to say here - we need a trophy, and we need to go after this one.

In Wrapping-up:

2017 has had it’s ups and it’s downs for Spurs, but we must ride all of the aforementioned positives and continue on. 2018 will be the year that sees us open our new stadium, and could be the year that potentially sees Spurs make its first Champions League push. Lots to look forward to, and lots of reasons to be a part of Tottenham Hotspur.

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