After three weeks without Tottenham ruining our weekends, The Crowing Cockerel Podcast is back — and surely the season starts now... right?

Graham, Mark and Thom look back at an eventful international break for Spurs, including goals for Marmoush and Tel, captaincy duties for Bentancur and Archie Gray, the latest injury concern over Van Hecke, and former Spurs striker Troy Parrott continuing to find the net.

Parrott's form leads us into a bigger debate about Tottenham's youngsters. Do Spurs give their academy players enough opportunities? We discuss Parrott, Will Lankshear, Luca Williams-Barnett, Mikey Moore and Vušković — and whether supporters are sometimes too quick to assume we've made a mistake when a young player succeeds elsewhere.

There's also the small matter of Manchester City. We discuss the verdict, what punishment should follow and whether any of it actually matters to Spurs — although Thom spots one potential advantage if a relegation battle really is on the cards!

Then attention turns to Manchester United away. With De Zerbi having had three weeks to work with the squad, injured players returning and Spurs showing some signs of improvement before the break, can Tottenham finally get their season going at Old Trafford?

And ❓ Thom's Teaser returns with a Jermain Defoe-themed higher-or-lower battle — with Mark looking to haul himself level with Graham in the season standings.

Pre-season is over. Again.

Come On You Spurs! COYS

Spurs are bottom of the Premier League. It really can’t get much worse… can it?

Graham, Mark and Thom are back to pick through another painful week for Tottenham after defeats to Liverpool and Aston Villa leave Spurs rock bottom heading into the international break.

And yet, somehow, there were positives. The first half against Villa was arguably Spurs’ best 45 minutes in a long time, with De Zerbi’s side pressing aggressively and creating chances — before another individual error changed everything. So are there genuinely signs of progress underneath the disastrous results?

We discuss the continued lack of goals, Solanke’s struggles in front of goal, whether Spurs have enough natural finishers in the squad and why nobody seems willing to just have a shot. We also look at the worrying drop-off in energy levels and ask why, this far into the season, the players still don’t appear match fit.

There’s plenty of debate about Roberto De Zerbi too. Are the players buying into his system? Is his public criticism helping or hurting their confidence? And with Spurs repeatedly collapsing after conceding first, can he change the mentality of a team that seems to have forgotten how to win?

We also ask whether the fans are becoming part of the problem. After another chorus of boos at half-time, how much patience can supporters realistically be expected to show after two years of miserable home form?

There is, however, a glimmer of hope. Thom has been digging through the history books to find out what happens to teams that are bottom at the end of September — and discovers that Spurs have actually been here before.

❓ Thom’s Teaser lightens the mood with a battle to find obscure Spurs goalscorers — and produces a potentially historic moment in the Crowing Cockerel Predictions League.

With three weeks until Tottenham play again, perhaps this really is the end of pre-season.

We’re bottom. We’re battered. But the only way is up.

Come On You Spurs! COYS

Four games into the season, Spurs are still waiting for their first goal — but is it really time to panic?

Graham, Mark and Thom are back to dissect Tottenham's 0-0 draw with Everton and the very different ways we're all feeling about the start to life under Roberto De Zerbi.

There are positives. Two clean sheets in a row, a defence that looks increasingly solid and signs that the midfield and overall structure are improving. But there's one rather obvious problem: Spurs still can't score.

We discuss whether the new-look attack simply needs time to click, the struggles of Savinho, Marmoush and Tel, and whether Tottenham actually signed the natural goalscorer this squad desperately needed.

There's also a big debate about De Zerbi. Is he right to publicly demand more from his players, or could his very visible coaching and criticism actually be damaging the confidence of an attack already struggling to make decisions in the final third?

Then we get into the increasingly strange Richarlison situation. After moves to Everton, Turkey and Brazil all failed to materialise, last season's top scorer is still at Spurs — but isn't in the Premier League squad and seemingly isn't in De Zerbi's plans. Has the whole situation been badly handled?

❓ Thom's Teaser takes us back to Spurs' previous 0-0 home draw in 2017, as Mark and Graham attempt to reconstruct the starting XI against Swansea — with the contest going right down to the wire.

🔮 We also look ahead to a huge Carabao Cup tie at Liverpool, question De Zerbi's plans to rotate at Anfield, and make our predictions for Aston Villa before asking the big question: are there genuine reasons to believe things are about to improve, or are Spurs fans already running out of patience?

Come on you Spurs! COYS