Eugene McGuinness is set to release his superb new single “Harlequinade” on August 6th, with an album The Invitation to the Voyage to be released the same day, so Football Burp caught up with him for a natter about his beloved Tottenham Hotspur…

How did you come to be a Spurs fan?

Well, I’m a London boy so it was quite easy, but a lot of it was to do with the school I went to, where it was either Arsenal or West Ham United – Spurs fans were a bit rarer but they had players I was drawn to like Jürgen Klinsmann, Teddy Sheringham, and Darren Anderton whenever he could walk!

Are you happy with the appointment of Andre Villas-Boas as manager or would you have preferred to see someone else?

I think he’ll come good, you know. Harry Redknapp got so much right, left the squad in a pretty good state – Villas-Boas caused a bit of a revolution at Chelsea which didn’t really pay off, so as long as he sticks with the elements that Redknapp got right and builds on that rather than turn the team inside out, then I think there’s a good core there. There’s been a consistency over the last few seasons – 4th, 5th and 4th – so if he can inject new life into a solid identity that’s already there then I don’t think we need any sort of major revolution. It’s exciting but there are one or two things to sort out, like what’s going on with Luka Modric. It’s great that we’re keeping Gareth Bale though, he’s the man.

Do you think you’d struggle to replace Modric?

I think he’s a world-class players but there are always players out there.

Ideally would you have liked to see Harry Redknapp stay?

To be honest, yeah. I don’t understand what went on there. The whole thing was mad – everybody assumed he was getting the England job, so maybe that’s why, but I’d’ve liked to see him stay because he was amazing.

Do you manage to get to White Hart Lane much?

I don’t actually, to be honest. I followed football pretty ruthlessly when I was in school but when I started doing music I was dipping in and out of it, and I’m a bit flaky now, haven’t been to White Hart Lane in years. Over the last season or so I’ve been following it more closely again but before that I didn’t want to get too involved because you just end up depressed on Monday morning. Now we’re actually doing well I can bathe in the glory!

Would you be able to name the best, first and worst games you ever went to?

The first game that I went to was a 1-0 win over Manchester City in 1995 or 1996, a very different Man City to the one now. I think Chris Armstrong scored the winner, but otherwise nothing happened, nothing! It was my first ever football match though so the atmosphere at the stadium was amazing, and in that way it was the best I suppose. The worst was probably against Chelsea a few seasons ago when Didier Drogba scored an amazing free-kick from thirty yards out in the dying minutes. I remember staring at him thinking, “He’s decided to put this in the net,” then he kicked it and he did. He was like the pantomime villain, Drogba, but he was amazing.

Finally, if you had to select a five-a-side team out of all the Spurs players you’ve seen in your time as a fan, who would you pick?

It’s got to be dead ’90s, I reckon – Ian Walker in goal, just for a laugh! Klinsmann. David Ginola. Bale and Modric. It would be absolute carnage.

Eugene McGuinness, thank you.