If you had told us today that John Giles was about to take another cut at a Spurs midfielder, we very much would have expected it to be Eric Dier.
The former RTÉ pundit has expressed, on numerous occasions, his disdain for seeing Eric Dier playing in midfield as he feels he is so limited in terms of creativity and passing range that he has no business playing the position.
Last October when the world was reeling from the news that Wayne Rooney had been dropped by Man Utd and England, Giles let everyone know that he didn't think much of the man selected in his place...
For a start, Rooney at half pace and with one leg in a wellington boot is a better midfield option than Eric Dier.
Giles' words didn't go down too well with Spurs fans as Dier was one of the better performers in the season where they went close to the Premier League title before falling away, but when he went back in for another pop last May, it did seem unusual that he continued to single one player out.
I’ve watched Eric Dier for Spurs over the last few weeks do almost nothing of any consequence as a holding midfielder and I find it baffling that Mauricio Pochettino doesn’t see that too.
He would probably be appalled by my assessment of a player he seems to value highly but seriously, Dier is a defender playing in front of two other defenders. He’s no midfielder.
That wasn't the end of it either, as Giles used Spurs' performance against Chelsea at Wembley earlier in the season for yet another swipe at Dier, but now he has found another target in his good friend and Spurs and England teammate; Dele Alli.
Giles, like most of the footballing world, was pissed off by Alli's attempted dive against Huddersfield last weekend, and he dedicated a column for Independent.ie to criticise the young Englishman for cheating, something he noticed in his game some time ago.
Alli’s diving and – I won’t mince my words here – cheating have been an issue as long as he’s been in the Spurs first team and Pochettino defended him no matter what last year.
Perhaps if he had stated publicly when Alli gave an interview saying that he wouldn’t want to lose his ‘edge’, that his protege needed to calm down, a talented young player wouldn’t be throwing himself on the ground.
It’s not just the diving. Alli has a habit of doing rash things and when I combine the two, I find a player who needs someone to tell him some harsh truths.
Safe to say he's not a fan. While he acknowledges the unquestionable talent of Dele Alli, he's clearly not impressed with what he has seen in terms of attitude.
Who will be the next Spurs player to suffer the wrath of Giles? Not Harry Kane, anyway, as he was used as an example for Alli and others to follow, so maybe Moussa Sissoko? Although, Paddy Power seemed to all bases covered when it comes to taking the piss out of the Frenchman.
