Tottenham, or rather ENIC is rapidly running out of answers. We get some good performances from this squad, then the wheels dramatically fall off with all the predictability of a circus car.
Conte seemed to be channelling his inner Milton in the post Wolves presser, referring to a long road, a long path in front of us. ‘And hard that out of Hell leads up into the light‘, eh?
Pochettino ran out of steam because he needed a significant rebuild of his squad. Mourinho was clearly bewildered by what he discovered at Hotspur Way. As the ‘All or Nothing’ documentary revealed. Nuno gave a good impression of a man that went from happy-go-lucky to manic-depressive in a matter of days.
Now we have Antonio Conte admitting that this isn’t a doer-upper, this is a complete rebuild.
Big Sam has recently conducted an interview, which I received by email.
The line, at the close, suddenly resonated with me. Or does anyone believe we are better placed than to consider such a future?
Here’s the interview
I’ll never say never when it comes to another job in management because there’s always going to be something out there that would interest me, I’m sure of that.
I’ve turned down more jobs from abroad in the last two seasons than I did in the rest of my career combined. I’ve explained to every club that has been kind enough to contact me, they’re 10 years too late for me. I don’t really want to become a journeyman at 67-years-old, and above everything else, I don’t think it’s fair on my wife.
You’ve got to think about your family, and respect that they’ve allowed you to do this job for decades, traveling all over the country and, like I said, I’m sure she would’ve probably been happy for me to try and do it abroad 10 years ago, but nothing ever materialised.
So when I hear from top clubs in Greece and Turkey now, I have to politely turn them down. I can’t ask my family to pack everything up and go and live in a country where they’d be isolated.
My wife wouldn’t know anybody, she wouldn’t see anybody, and I’d be so busy at that football club, working 24/7 to find out how they operate – it would be very depressing for her, and it wouldn’t be right of me to expect that of her. It doesn’t matter what the offer is, or how well I might do at the club, it just wouldn’t be fair to put her in that position.
An international job, at my stage of life, would interest me. That role doesn’t require you to spend 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in that country. That would appeal to me. But with regard to a top job in some of those countries I’ve mentioned, it’s not for me anymore. As flattering as it is and as appreciative as I am that they’ve considered me – I think I’ve had three calls from China – it’s just not for me.
I’ve said “that’s me done and dusted” too many times over the years, so I’m never saying it again. I’ll never say never when it comes to another job in management because there’s always going to be something out there that would interest me, I’m sure of that.