TNT Sports has tried to stoke the fire ahead of the big Premier League clash with West Ham but their disrespectful promo has backfired.
The international break is over and Premier League action resumes this weekend with a big one.
West Ham head to bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur with plenty at stake.
The Hammers can go above Spurs with a victory.
That would really light a fire under the Julen Lopetegui era after the 4-1 win over Ipswich.
At the same time it would pile more pressure on Ange Postecoglou.
The Tottenham boss saw his team throw away a 2-0 lead at Brighton to lose 3-2 last time out.
There are serious doubts whether his style of play and approach can make Tottenham successful.
Eddie Howe is being linked with the Spurs job as part of potential new investment in north London.
Lopetegui has been a target for the press ever since he replaced David Moyes at West Ham.
Now Postecoglou is getting a taste of that kind of treatment.
It started when he was repeatedly questioned about his declaration that he always wins a trophy in his second season at a club.
Tottenham have not won any silverware for 16 years – since the 2008 League Cup.
West Ham meanwhile won a European trophy just last summer with their Europa Conference League triumph over Fiorentina.
Hammers fans have been proudly letting everyone know they’re champions of Europe.
But it seems the broadcasters of Saturday’s big game have tried to belittle the achievement.
TNT Sports have disrespected West Ham with a Spurs trophy kick ahead of their Premier League clash.
But it has backfired spectactularly.
TNT has posted a video promo for Saturday’s London derby on social media.
It opens with James Maddison asking ‘West Ham?’ in a condescending manner.
The clip shows Joe Cole famously saying Spurs ‘don’t win trophies and are not a big club’.
And TNT Sports then decided to edit footage of Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven booting away West Ham’s European trophy.
One graphic then shows dozens of Tottenham stickers saying ‘West Ham who?’.
The disrespectful tone of the promo has not been lost on West Ham fans.
Meanwhile Spurs supporters have been lapping it up – particularly the trophy kick.
But all it has served to do is make Tottenham – somehow – look even more Spursy.
The attempt to belittle West Ham’s achievement has been met with some angry responses among the Hammers faithful.
Everyone is saying the same thing, though.
That the trophy kick is the closest Tottenham have got to a trophy for 16 years.
Let’s have it right – a major broadcaster editing a Spurs player kicking a European cup their rivals have won because they can’t use footage of Tottenham players lifting a trophy is rather self-defeating.
It does not show TNT Sports in a particularly good light either.
Would they do something like that for Liverpool or Manchester United?
It shows a distinct lack of respect to West Ham, especially being a Spurs player.
But the fact it has backfired on Tottenham means the Hammers have the last laugh.
Lopetegui will be hoping that is the case on the pitch too at the end of the game on Saturday lunchtime.
This is a rivalry that doesn’t need to be stoked. TNT tried to do just that and failed miserably.
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