It’s fair comment that Spurs’ FA cup draw against Middlesbrough Sunday felt like a loss. Which prompts the immediate question, “why?” After all, domestic cup games are notorious for upsets.
Phrases such as “giantkillers” and “coupon busters” primarily exist in football because of the unpredictability of throwing a top flight side into unfamiliar circumstances.
The answer to the angst is to be found way before this weekend’s game.
TRANSFER HISTORY
Guillem Balague sounded the loudest alarm bell in his BBC column back in September 2018, when pointing out that after that summer, Tottenham were the only club in Europe’s top five leagues not to sign a player.
This flatlining in the transfer market was unbelievably repeated in the next two windows. That’s right, Spurs’ most recent player purchases were Serge Aurier in the summer of 2017, Lucas Moura in January 2018 and Tanguy Ndombele in 2019.
Despite Mauricio Pochettino publicly keeping a straight bat throughout this self imposed buying drought, telling the press every week that he was “happy” with his squad, the truth bubbling away beneath the surface couldn’t be contained forever.
Our squad became understandably stale, results went down the tube and Poch lost his job, as Spurs flirted with relegation in 14th place.
ENTER THE BHAGWAN
We now have one of the most successful coaches in Europe installed in Poch’s stead, and the Mourinho “effect” or “bounce” from his first 10 games has yielded a win rate of 60%.
Toby Alderweireld finally felt comfortable enough to commit to a contract extension, and Dele Alli discovered he wasn’t his own brother.
What was also pleasing, was the wholesale failure of those “bus parking” predictions.
Mourinho in actual fact played a faster, more attacking brand of football than some had predicted. Add to this another uncharacteristically José element: Spurs have been conceding goals under the Kosher One like it’s going out of fashion. #Faucet, to quote Opta Joe.
1 – José Mourinho’s sides have registered just one clean sheet across his last 17 games in all competitions, failing to keep a clean sheet in 15 successive away games. Faucet. pic.twitter.com/VSXRg0KlGi
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 5, 2020
CRITICAL CARE
Mourinho’s holistic approach has been stymied by injury, and it is no surprise that the absence of Harry Kane has drawn the Portuguese into a state of solemnity in his pressers.
As of today’s date, Tottenham is minus its first choice goalkeeper, its highest paid player (and only striker) Harry Kane. Arguably its first choice left back Danny Rose, and the man that was supposed to solve a great many of our midfield issues, Tanguy Ndombele.
José’s situation is the original candle burning at both ends. The 56-year-old’s situation is perhaps best described as unenviable, at worst, impossible.
Some fans have seized the opportunity to debase our new serial winner coach.
The only credible path out of this whole period is to brace ourselves for the cold reality of Mourinho’s situation. Which is one of patience and the slow rebuild of a squad that fell into disrepair before José arrived. A rebuild that even Pochettino knew was inevitable.
THE FUTURE
My prediction is more of the same footballing gruel ENIC have been serving up on a regular basis for the best part of the last 20 years. For those watching in black and white, Daniel Levy’s acquisition of Mourinho was the technicolour, box office move of the Cautious One’s tenure.
Levy could not have got away with appointing “an” Eddie Howe. One does not sink a billion pounds into a project and appoint “a try-out” to stand at the helm.
I stand by my assertion that José won’t suddenly demand £300million in this window or the next. The injuries will have saddened Mourinho, but the fundamental terms of his employment won’t have been changed by them.
The fanbase needs to offer the new gaffer the same level of respect as they did the last one.
There’s one other option of course, which is to spew vitriol at ENIC, but given the nature of the ownership and debt levels, that’ll probably be a futile exercise.
Poch for 3 seasons brought me much happiness and some of our football was impressive to watch,if Poch was backed and we didnt move ground we would be Liverpool right now. ,Arry also brought a bit of fun to our club but then the England thing ruined that .honestly have little hope for the next few seasons ..
Ps Al, your right cowlin is a clown looking to make himself a star.
What they are failing to grasp is you can still love spurs and hate the regime that is ruining it. How much of what poch did was good luck and how much was good management is a different debate. What isn’t a debate is he moved the club forward way quicker than most of us expected, including his highness. Personally I thought he did an unreal job given the money no ground etc, but I accept others will say no he didn’t win anything. Well we have winning football now, but I suspect we won’t be actually winning anything. One thing I have thrown at me constantly is money isn’t necessarily gonna solve problems. I can see that, but I’d add, if we actually got a scouting network in place we may be able to find top players before they go for huge money. As it is we don’t and so it’s gonna cost us to bring in people that will improve the current gang, who I suspect much like their old manager have just got basically pissednoff with the whole thing. Love spurs. Hate enic
I agree – so easy, they also don’t try to avoid corners now. they let us have them. I know kids that can whip in better corners than CE. I cant believe we have 0 in the squad that can do better. I would think Winks can take a decent corner.
You are Spot On Billy , but, but, The truth of the matter is this . As Long as Levy, Enic are in control THFC will never be successful , as in Winning Things , attracting the best players , when you have ‘fans’ like Cowlin on Youtube do not expect people to wise up .
Even if a footballing miracle was to happen and we made it to the cl again, there will always be a reason we can’t get the top players. There’s always a reason. We can’t attract not in cl, we can’t pay out revenues are lower, we can’t attract the moon is in aries blah blah. The goalposts move that often and so many of our fans still fall for it I’m staggered. I said on here years ago, no point having a fancy garage if you have a mini metro sat in it.
Ryan should come good mate. Hopefully… I get what you’re saying in an ideal world and replace everyone with world class standard.. But this only works if you do it abromovich style 2006.. Loads of money and go and buy all the best players. Never happening with us… I would keep about half the players, our squad has many whom can do their jobs. some useful as squad players rather than starters. Some are young and still developing like ryan and sanchez….. For maureens style he needs a quality defensive midfielder/sweeper to sit in front of our back four. Essential.. Someone like KANTE who he had at chelsea would be ideal…. There is rumours we are in talks with willian. These are the kind of players we need to sign. Willian is class.
Thanks for a coherent and honest assessment.
What really annoys me is that opposition teams know Eriksen can’t get a corner past the first post. There are always 3 defenders on that first post and rarely one Spur. Been 18 months now and it does my head in. Only goal from Eriksen corner was when Jan ran in and took everyone by surprise with his header.
Every comment is spot on you just cant stand still in the prem ,even a lot of average teams have a lot of fight and excellent fitness our 0-3 loss to Brighton comes to mind .
Why Enic think this is the way to go instead of the Liverpool route is beyond me and i hope one of the monkeys reads this site. They have ruined our club for a good few years and that is if they change their ways NOW ,which of course they wont. I expect nothing and dont relish our games now as basically we are below average and will be dropping down the table very fast. Sad for us all . COYS
🤩🤗
Said it at the time, will say it again. Those missed transfer windows were wilful dereliction of duty by the then manager and the owners. It proved beyond doubt they ain’t in it for the football or the glory.
How many top players want to play for us with champions league?
I don’t blame Poch as much as some, bar being complicit in the under investment. I don’t think he killed them as much as never got the players he wanted.
Sad thing is none of this needed to happen, if we had added one or two quality players in each window we might be in a better place. A Spurs side challenging for the title and in the Champions League was an attractive destination for players, now who but mercenaries would want into this sh*t show. See how many top players want to play for us with no Champions League. We don’t have United’s option of overpaying them to entice them. You want Champions League and an FA Cup, well go ahead and pay for them.
Seems to have been agreed between enic and mourinho that no painful rebuild/ fresh cycle is required after all. Poch was just gaslighting people for two years when he repeatedly claimed one was needed.
Jose and Levy; Never The Twain Shall Meet
3 months out. He’ll fit right in in the world class facilities. But, no he will be back, should use it to get some cash off.
Jose playing it kool out of respect to his mate poch. He cant come out and say exactly what’s going on regarding the team poch killed at Hotspur way.
Not saying spend = win, what I am saying though is at some point spending like a championship side eventually turns you into one. Its not that we don’t spend enough, its that we don’t spend wisely.
Hakim and Yousef I wanted/want. Atal is wounded now. I’d still take him for next season. Top top right sider.
If Messi joined this week we’d drag him down to our level.
😁
Isn’t he out with a long term injury? Perfect then.
Anfieldamins. Saves on after match meals
I don’t know how much arsenal have spent in the last 20 years but I do know they ain’t won the one with the big handles. We’ll win it before them. I’ve been saying it for years.
Get the ting sounding crisp on “flat” first before you start playing around with the tone controls
I hear that mate.
She’s more old Vic than old lane. She’s still more new Vic than new lane though.
Levy and all the rest of it aside. If you brought a date there for a match and a munch she’d be impressed. My lady was. She wasn’t at the old place but she’s not football. She loves the new gaff and the vibes in the eateries/bars. Top bird😊
Il say it again. John McGinn is what the team needs.
Watching our performances and watching virtually every other team in the EPL we play at a snails pace with no real intensity. Watch the top four sides and when a player passes the ball he is immediately running into space or looking to create space and generally the direction of the ball is forwards. Watch what Dier does when he has the ball. Most of the time he will receive the ball from a back line player like Toby and then pass it straight back to him. When he does pass the ball he just then walks about. Watch Aurier when he is in defensive positions and the opponents get a throw in, free kick or corner he turns his back on the play and completely switches off as to what is going on. Watch our throw ins. There is zero movement to receive the ball and most times the throw goes straight to an opponent. Watch the general movement of our players and watch Verts and Toby looking for some movement to pass forward to. It is nonexistent especially in the midfield. Liverpool are at high energy from the kick off. They pass and move and we pass and stop moving. I agree with the view shared here by some that we have a small cluster of top players. Kane, Son, Toby , Verts(when on form) and that’s about it. Lo Celso shows flashes but like Lamela appears to be one footed. Moura shows flashes but for long periods just falls over or gets bundled off the ball. Sanchez has potential but needs top quality around him. Forth needs to be loaned out to see if game time will eradicate the constant fouls and mistakes. Ndombele shows talent but appears an injury waiting to happen. Davies, Dier, Sissoko, Aurier, should be nowhere near the squad. Winks has a heart but needs someone to reshape his Scott Parker impressions into someone more effective. Eriksen has gone. Ali is to lightweight and inconsistent. He needs to play just off the centre forward. Sessegnon needs to be given his wings to be an attacking wingback taking on players and banging in crosses. We need two top notch fullbacks and two top notch midfield players plus a back up to Kane as a minimum. The only way ENIC will open their wallets is if the the CL qualifying position looks doubtful and attendances collapse and the stadium is half full. I cannot see that happening before the end of this transfer window and that means another season of failure and the very distinct possibility of losing Kane and Son in the summer.
Jerk an ting. 185 park lane. 😊
No – first thing is to ensure both teams drink as much as each other before the game. lol. Joking aside, I have coached many kids and pub level teams over the years, and as I said, fundamentals are so easy to resolve when players train it. My tactic was always to knacker them out then coach it into them. Seemed to work. Either way, we are failing as a club at fundimentals and Jose needs no excuses, he simply needs to fix it…pass to each other, pass the ball forwards, and then set pieces, suddenly we are a dangerous side again. We have the quality.
Pre match ‘ot dog……🌭
First thing we gotta do is bar them from pubs
funny isn’t it how Liverpool seem to be the only team that can do it for 90mins, week in, week out with only 16players used, over 5 competitions…one could even suggested they are like super humans, with enhanced performances…?
As for Fergie, I am not sure HE chose to rotate the back room staff, many left as his hairdryer was not reserved for players, he was horrible to be around when he lost, and many people used time there as a way to push for better roles elsewhere. Which is how winning clubs work, being comfortable results in what we are seeing at Spurs.
They are Loved by the MSM David , they cannot do no wrong . It was nice of Spurs to give them the ‘Leg Up ‘. then again its what we do .
If you need a number two for that pub team let me know. 😁 London pubs only.
You can only be impressed with that yesterday, everyone pulling together within that club, I wonder if Levy could see there IS another way .
The MSM know that Levy and ENIC are the reason that THFC will never be successful , and thats the way the MSM want it to stay .
Half time Bovril on a chilli evening? The kids nagging ya😁 they do a lovely cheesy chips and spicy wings thingy. The boy loved it. Shh so did I😁
In the same period (5windows) we sold €103m, €5.5m and €35m so €143m, if you take that into consideration too, we only spent €76m over 5 windows, and per player that is less than €10m per player!!
Poch did wonders, we all know that. But looking at the players they’re like an over 50s team. No pace, no legs, no energy. Can’t start fast, can’t last 90 minutes. A radical overhaul of the fitness regime is needed. Same as the injuries, yes I know the squad is too small. When Klopp arrived at Liverpool they were dogged by injuries, he cleared out the Medical dept, and they press every game, all game, yet they’re always fresh and have no long list of injuries. Poch also stuck too long with the same staff, look at Alex Ferguson, changed his backroom staff every few years to prevent staleness, and so the players heard a different voice.
Agreed, I put it down to modern day coaching with zonal marking etc., and players not being two footed , crossing the ball is an absolute basic players now just guess at it.
LoCelsco was a loan.
In Euros
in 19/20 (so far)
Ndombele – 60m
Sess – 27m
Clarke – 11m
Locelso – 16m (loan, so could be wasted – so excluding from calculations)
18/19
no-one
17/18
Sanchez – 40m
Moura – 28m
Aurier – 25m
Llorente – 15m
foythe – 13m
so that is £219m spent over 5 windows, average of €43m a window (not bad) but what the real story is €27m per player! At the same time we were in the CL every year, almost won the league twice. Its not hard to see above how many of those players were value for money. That €43m should be on one player at the level we were at. Before we got CL football we actually averaged close to £70m a year on transfers in. so its clear ENIC were only willing to get into the promoised land, not to win it.
stuff the mindset – work on set plays and passing to each other. He should be able to fix that in a week. Our marking on set plays is woeful, our delivery is dreadful and our runs to attack the ball, we seem to see 3 players next to each other every time. I could walk into a pub team and fix most of that in 1 session, delivery requires quality, but are you telling me for £100k a week we cant whip in a better cross that beats the first man?
Five years of Poch and his unique psychology is not going to fade away in the matter of a few weeks, and the almost dramatic change in management style of Mourinho is taking time to register with the players. The situation not helped with injuries and player unrest, the game yesterday did not impress , there was a lack of tempo and poor passing throughout, a general lack of conviction in everything. It is probably the toughest test yet for Mourinho as a manager , I really dont know if he can change the mindset of doubt within the club, but that is what it needs.
And Ryan Sessegnon
Do you like waiting to be served?
I couldn’t agree more, and said the same the other day.
Problem is I don’t like Jose from his attitude and time at Chelsea and united. He has to win us over, not the other way around. We have spent on average £22m over the past 5 windows, that is simply not good enough. So jose needs to step up and call that out, I will forgive the rest if he just came across as a winner not just a has been now stooge.
Chronic under-investment in player acquisition is THE story, it is not a sub-text or a sub-plot. Mourinho has won 20 major trophies in the same period of time that ENIC, Lewis and Levy have won 1 trophy. The one statistic is world class, the other statistic is abject mediocrity. So those myopic critics/so-called fans, now training their sights on Mourinho, are talking out of their collective arses.
If new stadium construction, training ground development, or real estate acquisition were the principal metrics of footballing achievement, then ENIC could be considered a resounding success at football ownership. However, it’s not. Winning trophies is the ONLY metric which actually measures the success of a football club and manifestly, judged by that criterion alone, ENIC have failed, spectacularly.
The team needs a major overhaul, in numerous positions. There are only a handful of players who are genuinely top 4 calibre starters or squad members. However, ENIC will not make sufficient funds available to successfully undertake the overhaul needed. In fact only the prospective loss of Champions League football will prompt them to take any action at all. Will it be enough? My honest prediction is no and as a result we will drop out of top 4 contention.
Big up chapel town
Come on you Leeds later. I like “mad dog. He’ll/they’ll do well in the prem.
Was on park lane yesterday.
I find this CRAZINESS heartbreaking. There is no Shelf Side. There is no Park Lane. They bulldozed it in order to sell snacks and refreshments.
Not me guv but I can see them contesting 4th spot!
You jumped off Arsenal?
Clearly set out reasoning for the mess we are in. Would highlight the comment “even Poch” regarding the rebuild. Poch led the charge that replacements were necessary and was ignored by Levy. To be perfectly honest, I believe Poch is better off out of the situation controlled by Levy.
The question which troubles me is whether Mourinho has the patience for a player development approach and Levy won’t pay retirement gold pots to older short termers.
Jose will need more than one season to sort this mess out and we need to give him the support and the time to do it. We as fans expect too much too soon. Jose has the pedigree to get us on the right track but with constant media pressure and player power these days he probably won’t be given the time he needs.
Only half our players are not good enough. IMO keep Toby, Kane, Son and ship out the rest.
Not sure what we have done to Ryan S but having lost his sparkle questions need to be asked??
CATTENACCIO means the door bolt or chain. This is maureens way. He has tried to park the bus but we are still flooding in goals. Il respect the man same as poch if he gets top 4 and gets to cup finals under enic. If he does better and wins stuff then i will respect him even more…. So far we had one decent 5-0 at Burnley, apart from that its been painful… I used to enjoy his interviews, but even pass those now that monotone drone sends me to sleep… Half our players are not good enough to win titles or cups.. An ageing squad too, surely maureen knows we need players in and out. if he thinks hes going to rule the world with the likes of aurier, verts at lb, dire, winks, sissoko, then all hope is lost.
Mourinho took the Spurs job as he wanted a return to top flight football. It was a pragmatic decision. He was sacked from his last three jobs and also fell out with the players at those respective clubs. There aren’t many clubs left in Europe where he can ply his trade. You can’t force the fans to back the manager. I suspect they are inherently suspicious of him. They never wanted George Graham either. You are right when you say it is futile to spew vitriol at Enic and Levy. They will only take note when the stadium is half full or we are flirting with relegation. Champions League qualification is looking increasingly unlikely. I am always surprised that the media give Levy such an easy ride and continue to laud his acumen as a shrewd businessman. He has undoubtedly made Enic and himself a lot of money but I suspect the worm has turned with the fanbase.
They were singing…”we’re the shelf side….we’re the park Lane” again yesterday. Seems to go watch Spurs these days you have to be the equivalent of the man in the asylum who butchered his wife sitting and rocking all day at the sunny window muttering “she’ll come back….she’ll come back”…. over and again.
Harvey Elliott
Curtis Jones etc etc
and just to think they could be the dominant force in the PL over the next 5 years!
Oh to be a Liverpool supporter!!
Happy Days
The fact that it’s all in technicolor, just makes it all that much more vomit inducing.
COYFS!! Back the FKIN Manager, you Fkin worm.
He’s in the $h!t?
Actually just read the whole thing, We’re Fked.
Hmm, thought we bought Tanguy, Clarke and Lo Celso in the summer?