Blogging about Tottenham is a challenge these days, as we live in exceptional times, were most of us have been banged up in our homes for about a year or so, in respect of something that still isn’t easy to fully comprehend. Lack of social interaction hasn’t helped. If we were talking about football down the pub, some of the less than intellectual would’ve been refined by gentle mocking, and if you persisted with the really daft theories, you could well end up with a pint in your lap. In the splendid isolation of the lockdown, many are making the same points every day, paying no heed to what anyone else is saying. It’s not just here, it’s everywhere. Expression has unsurprisingly become stunted. And so the same points are delivered again and again, frequently using the same selection of words.
What’s tragic, is that the level of critical thought being employed is evidently at an all-time low. It’s fair to say that very few made an emotional investment in our current gaffer. That suits me just fine by the way, I pretty much threw the towel in on that old toffee after Jol was fired. Villas- Boas’ demise taught me that nothing could counter the suffocation of the owners. Pochettino flirted heavily with me, but he too was clearly doomed. So when I see José being spat at by the Redknapps and the ‘I didn’t wunnim here in the first place’ brigade’, it’s not come entirely as a shock. A vocal percentage of the fanbase was unhappy when we went top of the table and secured our place in a cup final.
The argument about style over substance is something else we’ve covered at length. I never in my life left a football match after watching Spurs lose and said to anyone on the bus or the tube, ‘but it was a jolly entertaining contest’, had I done so, I think I may have needed reconstructive surgery. The solemnity of losing has never left me. Why ought it? So with all due respect, kindly whine about being entertained elsewhere.
Bar one or two additions (which have not been enough) the squad’s starting XI is essentially the same as the one that collapsed under Pochettino. Anyone trying to sell me that the last two seasons of that reign were energized and entertaining isn’t going to make a sale. So the argument that Mourinho should, despite this crystal clear evidence, still be able to get out a tune of a squad littered with deadbeats, makes no sense whatsoever. Good players don’t turn bad overnight. This lot has been on the turn for at least 3 seasons.
We went through all this on the podcast, but for the benefit of those that cannot be bothered to listen, Dier, Sanchez, Lamela, Rose, Doherty, Bale, Alli, Davies, Winks, et al. are either burnouts or simply unfit for purpose. Who among our second/third tier players would walk into any other top flight side? I’d argue none.
If we then look at the player that do provide hope, and add to that shorter list those that are out injured, then suddenly things look brighter, yet the cold reality is that the odds have been stacked against good overcoming mediocre all along. But many of you don’t want to hear all this, and believe that a new coach is the only answer.
I can understand those keeping firm to the line that Mourinho ought to be able, using better tactics or instruction to get a better tune out of his squad. That Dele and Bale are poised like coiled springs. That Vinicius should be given an extended run out. Why? Because it’s a lot easier than the alternative, which I have been describing to you in some detail, for a number of years.
In the final analysis, Mourinho has made mistakes, absolutely. Calling out Dele for the flick that caused the Portuguese so much ire would have undoubtedly made the rest of lads hesitant to deviate from the safe and simple. However, his biggest enemies are the ageing losers and injured players that he has wrapped around him. No? Then ask Pochettino what got him fired?
Excellent piece, always on point.
Unfortunately, far too many Spurs fans parroting Media biased negative views of Mou – which sells papers/subscriptions!
People need to be reminded that playing entertaining football and winning trophies don’t go hand in hand easily.
Having a good squad of highly consistent players with some real quality gems sprinkled through the group makes the team be title contenders.
Spurs don’t have that at the moment with the defence prone to making mistakes of the highest order.
You need luck as well. Liverpool title winners last year struggled with half their matches being close.
That team has been a work in progress for 4/5 years – Klopp finishing 8th in his 1st year.
Mou needs proper backing and we know thats not going to happen quickly at this club. We get near out of contract or ‘loan to buy’ players mostly.
Many stating that Mou was backed with 7 players in the summer transfer is a real insult to most fans intelligence.
It’s just laughable that some deluded Spurs fans get sucked in so badly at this.
70 mil for 7 players average of 10 mil – real bargain basement buys.
Our major rivals buying 1st team ready made players with quality at 50mil a piece.
Mou has bought into this challenging Project and hopefully Levy will give him the necessary time to revamp the squad so that it can be a force for the next decade.
The style of football will alternate according to the match and its importance in getting/needing results.
I feel that the players and Mou are still on the same page. The expectation of winning the title is now out of fans mind – a really unrealistic consideration at this time.
Top 4 and the cups will be the focus in the next few months.
What a load of tripe! Mou backed??
7 players at an impressive total cost of 70 mil – Walmart bargains at an average of 10 mil each – while our main rivals buy 1st team ready made players at 50+ each(VVD Dias Havertz etc).
Our board (Levy) favour near the end of contract AND loan to buy options hoping we get lucky.
All teams are tougher now to break down if they choose to defend.
Like Brighton near the bottom and beating Spurs and Pool in consecutive matches.
7 points off, game in hand, I’d say we are very much fighting for top 4. Liverpool lost against Brighton and Burnley, drew against Newcastle and West Brom – sack Klopp too?
4 good players, 2 were but old, 4 need time Winks, Lamela, Sanchez, Moura, Bergwijn, Sissoko, Aurier, Davies etc are not good enough to win anything. Can Dele revive? Lets not kid ourselves we have a great squad
The onus is on the Chairman and the players not the manager. Sounds crazy, but i did a little digging and found that between 2000 and the most recent Chelsea hire, the combine number of managers for both teams are an astounding 33. Chelsea 20 and Spurs 13 respectively. Of the bunch only Pochettino lasted 5 years. The average managers between both were dismissed at a rate of 1& 1/2 seasons. So the manager has only one season to implement his style and be successful at the same time. Pochettino was an anomaly. Only a pity he could not get us across the line. When you look at the current managers. Klopp and Pepp did it in year 2 and 3. I cannot close without mentioning Sean Dyche who has survive and is in his 9th year with no eminent danger of being sacked. At the end am now not even sure where to lay the blame, maybe event across tje board.
It is all about the players. Whether youth or senior scouts it’s important they can do their job, regardless of prices… Botch underachieved I thought. Best striker in the prem, best defence, decent midfield.. The foxes overachieved, and without high investment, just really good scouting.
Excellent piece.. I do think Botchjob should have won something though. He inherited a decent team. The best defence in the league with Lloris, Rose SuperJan Toby Walker. Dembele. Kane being the golden boot winner repeatedly. Leicester won the league while Brum, Portsmouth and Stoke won cups with inferior teams…. Any fan who claims to be entertained while losing bewilders me.
Very interesting article H.
I have been searching for the answer to what has gone wrong and I think you may have nailed it. After the Bamidele incident on Amazon they are probably all afeared to make mistakes so what happens……….when they are under the spotlight they make mistakes,
One dimensional twaddle. Go away.
I disagree. If Levy had backed Poch in the same way he has Mourinho we would still be fighting for top 4. There are squads with far inferior players than we have playing better football. Note recent excursions against Palace, Wolves & Brighton. To bring the best out of people in all walks of life you need good leadership. Neither Levy or sadly Mourinho nowadays appear to have that
Hehehehe
Ta.
THIS.
With regard to making the same points everyday, there really is only one to make, and repeat…..in it being the truth. Levy/ENIC have irreversibly destroyed this football club. Big shiny thing on the High Rd does not a football club make, especially when it’s built for NFL/events. Whatever maybe left of THFC will be frittered away in the duration spent in the Rothschilds bank pocket. Record debt and players aquired by penny pinching priority. No manager can succeed under this. That’s why there’s a museum. We were a cricket club, then a football club, now?
Impossible to disagree with anything you wrote. I still think that current tactics doesnt play to our strengths, although that doesnt mean that we have top4 potential and that we dont lack quality in many places. Great article, 100% spot on
If you underinvest in quality players you must compensate by overachieving, just like Poch. But those are short term tactics not a long term strategy.
What then happens is injury, loss of form, plain bad luck and your opponents superior quality squads derail you. You have good runs but they never last because the foundations are just not there.
Sacking Jose would be easy and probably popular with a good few fans but it won’t solve the problem of your chronic underinvestment in quality players.
I think the only thing that can be added to this is a well earned mic drop…..
Dan, you are a fellow normal human being, and I embrace you!
Waiting with popcorn to see if anybody can coherently argue against any of the above.
Spot on analysis, it’s what I have been trying to say in the comments section for the last week or so (albeit not as eloquently).
Too many players have been at the club for too long. Now is the time for the churn.
And I completely agree, I have never walked up the high road after a defeat and said “but didn’t we play well? that’s my Tottenham”
In a nutshell. Jose has his faults and his tactics don’t work for these players (at least currently). Then again, Poch’s tactics had left them in 14th before he got sacked.
So the defensive Satan’s tactics aren’t right, but those of the attacking mastermind – who guided us to 20 losses in his last full year – weren’t right either. What is the common denominator?
“But Levy backed Jose” – yes, that’s Reguilon (injured), Hart (not very good), Hojbjerg (brilliant but overplayed, as the MF falls apart without him), Bale (…), Gedson (…), Vinicius (unreliable), Rodon and Bergwijn (young, need time) and Doherty (currently trash).
Two starting line-up players, one of whom is injured. The others aren’t good enough or they need time. Other than that, same old.
Much more needs to change – but not the manager.
Spot on H. Jose has been putting 9 or 10 behind the ball because his defenders just aren’t good enough. It worked all the time Kane and Son performed their magic on the counter but with Kane out there is no link between midfield and attack and Son is lost as he lacks the physicality to win the long balls being punted up field. Making matters worse the defensive crowding means that the transition to offense requires high quality skills to quickly control and pass the ball in confined spaces, something that is sadly lacking in this team (Sissoko being a great example). The only way out will be to bring back the press which at least offers the chance of winning the ball in less congested areas even if that means risking more exposure to a shaky defense. Jose tried this to good effect in the second half against Chelsea so hopefully we will see more of the same this weekend. Unfortunately someone will still need to find the back of the net and unless Son rediscovers his scoring boots it is hard to see who that might be.
You have summarised the situation perfectly Harry. I don’t understand why some fans see this differently thru there rose tinted specs. I’ve seen comments about Jose having lost the players in the change room. If that is so then i would suggest to these so called fans, that the only players in the change room that he might have lost are the “burnouts or unfit for purpose” players that you mention above. These players are long past their sell by dates. Like in supermarkets or grocery stores items that are Past Due are put on the “Reduced Prices” shelf.,Hopefully Levy will see it that way soon and do the same.
100%. It was made evident that the responsibility is with the players as we started to play reasonably well only after the two subs came on. Look at the subs and the players they replace. Ndombele is better than Lucas, Bergwijn is better than Lamela. It was not Lucas and Lamela’s ability that made us more attacking, it was their application and desire. The players threw Poch under the bus, they’re doing the same to Mourinho. Yet it seems they are beyond criticism.