Cambridge United v Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur contacted Cambridge United head coach Richard Money and asked if they could play a game against them. Unsurprisingly they bit our hands off.




Thus Tottenham travel to Cambridge tonight for a friendly which is sure to bring the crowd in and much needed revenue into the clubs coffers. The League programme kicks off on Saturday, a week ahead of the Premier League but a Premier League side coming to play is an offer you don't refuse.

What side Tottenham will bring is unsure, bur Tottenham committed to bringing a strong side. Whoever arrives it is still Tottenham Hotspur they are representing, a prospect Money is now excited by and he is delighted the club agreed to the fixture as he told the local press.

“They phoned us and asked if we’d give them the game. Obviously the Tuesday before the season starts sometimes isn’t ideal, but it was such a good opportunity to give our supporters the chance to see a really big team that we couldn’t turn it down. 

“Now we’ve taken the game we’re pleased we’ve taken it. It’s something to look forward to and to wet the lips. 

“We know that we’re going to have to defend well and it’s a good opportunity for us to work on that part of our game. 

“But we’ve worked really hard this pre-season to be able to get ourselves in a shape where we can at least have our fair share of possession, and we’ll try to do that even against whatever team Tottenham bring.”

Cambridge have just returned to the Football League having been promoted from the Conference Premier last season where they finished runners-up. They beat Halifax Town 2-1 before defeating Gateshead 2-1 in the play-off final at Wembley.

Clearly they had a taste for Wembley stadium as they also made their first FA Trophy Final, which they won by beating Gosport Borough 4-0.

Sporting director Jez George was equalled delighted to have received the invitation from Spurs as he also explained on the clubs website.

“We are very grateful to Tottenham Hotspur for arranging this fixture and agreeing to bring a strong team. 

“They recognise the effect that can have for a club like ourselves and the opportunity it will create for us to attract a really big crowd and generate funds. 

“As I have explained since we won promotion, our ability to compete on the pitch from here on will be determined by our ability to generate revenue off the pitch due to the Football League Salary Cap Mandatory Rules. 

“This fixture, along with the Absolute Travel Cup and a friendly with MK Dons, gives us the opportunity to generate income and provide high level and varied competition for our players. We are really pleased with the programme.”

As we can see income at all levels determines what wages a side can afford to pay and therefore what quality of player they can attract. That is no different if you are League Two Cambridge United or Premier League Tottenham Hotspur.

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George went on to explain:

"We have a fantastic relationship with Tottenham at youth level which was cemented last year when one of our talented young players, Elliott Thorpe, joined their academy. 

"We are really pleased that we have extended that to first team level and look forward to hosting such a great club and maybe even welcoming some players to the R  Costings Abbey Stadium that graced the World Cup."

Tour the Internet and you'll find fans moaning at the quality of opposition saying it's no way to prepare for a season ignoring the fact the commercial activities are absolutely vital to maximise income and pay the wages for better players.

The fact that Tottenham contacted Cambridge and requested the fixture rather shows that the quality of opposition, and I mean no disrespect to Cambridge, is irrelevant. At the moment it's about understanding a system and what to do in a game situation.

It's a training exercise that is valuable for us or we wouldn't have asked for it and valuable to Cambridge financially more than anything else.

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