David Ornstein for The Athletic is clearly a journalist with some pedigree – a comment I make based upon the impeccable way that he has conducted himself – in a space frequently awash with, shall we say, disappointing individuals. When the claim was made, a few days ago, it was immediately an explosive story.
The notion that Nuno Espírito Santo, a coach whose previous club had declined to continue with him, had then become the last man that from the speculation outside the club which might take the post, appeared to be a reasonable tale.
Despite what any surviving apologists for ENIC might tell you, the damage caused by the inability to provide José Mourinho with a functional toolbox with which to repair Tottenham was catastrophic. For all Daniel Levy’s in-house video, where the beleaguered CEO scoffed at the wild variety of names that had been linked with the role, the cold reality of the situation was that it took the club’s board over 70-days to get anyone to agree to sign up.
It was suggested by Jamie Redknapp that a big factor in sacking The Special One was the money that could be saved if the trigger were to be pulled sooner rather than later.
So when Nuno was eventually revealed, I started to think of the opening lyrics to Alice Cooper’s song ‘No Man’s Land’…
I got a job in Atlanta in a mall playing Santa
Not because of any talent but because I was the
only one the suit would fit
Everybody shopping, little sticky kids were hopping
on my lap with their fingers in my beard
I guess they thought that I was really it
The truth was, that Spurs were not in a position to lose any more money, nor could they risk the existing squad to be less than respected by the next guy.
So we get Nuno on a thin deal, sans parachute, picking Dele Alli relentlessly.
My question is straightforward; what else did anyone reasonably expect? And, therefore, I take a view that Nuno doesn’t need time, the poor man needs a miracle.
A Tottenham spokesperson has denied the story, of course, which only serves to add fuel to the fire, especially given that Ornstein stands by his information.
Will Peri-Peri Pulis still be in post by Christmas, in a mall playing Santa?
“little looney tunes”! We’re a natural fit for some good gallows humour.
Very amusing last para; I like it! “a badly run dating agency” indeed.
I think they might accept 2.5 billion but it still doesn’t represent good value for money for any prospective buyer, compared with Newcastle for 305 million!
1962! Such sad timing, agonisingly close to witnessing the double! You did get to witness some great football, though, before the whole thing began to fall apart in March 1964, just after I attended my first football match ever and witnessed top of the table Spurs win 2-1 at Birmingham City on February 29th! (incidentally, our first team hasn’t played on leap day since!)
That just about sizes up the bald fart.
Can’t imagine why anyone would wish to work for the bald twit a second time around. Some might call it love of Spurs; I’d call it madness!
Quite amusing,Harry, and apt in the context of our football club, the bit about the chap playing Santa simply because he was the only one the suit fitted! Made me chuckle.
Coming back would almost certainly be self flagellation that’s for sure
An approach then. I guess no talks could’ve taken place unless PSG permitted them. Nothing official, but he would’ve been sounded out. I’m assuming Daniel still has his mobile number…
anonymous down votes when over target
Zero talks!
I would normally agree with you, but there’s no way a negotiation took place in the summer unless it was some willingness on the managers side. I know it sounds mad if I was him I wouldn’t come back under these owners either. I just have a feeling it’s going to happen, at some point. At some point in the near future.
Unless he applies to join Opus Dei, and they tell him he needs to endure another few years with us before his application can be processed
100% right
Poch ain’t coming back to work for Levy. Nothings changed, why would he ?
Newsflash…. Poch ain’t coming back under these owners.
You talking about this blog? The amount H and the rest slated him. Grass ain’t always greener. Especially when you have a sadist like Levy in charge.
It’s an impossible job, They will win the French league no problem, They did away with Citeh as well. I think he’ll probably last till the end of the season, and if he wins the champions league he might just decide to leave.
And if he doesn’t he’ll probably get the boot anyway.
Poch weirdly had some detractors with our fan base who seem to have a blind spot to our budget and how low it was, even Toby has been talking about this to the press this week. However, he’s arguably managing the most powerful club in world football. ‘Botch’, ‘loser’ ‘good coach, sh*t manager… the list goes on. Jose couldn’t turn it around either, so why was Poch sacked when it was a squad issue in the end? Poch “ran them into the ground with his training” etc etc. Take Poch out the equation, zero improvement.
He’s one the best managers/coaches in world football and had Baldy backed him better we wouldn’t currently be in this mess…
They lost Rennes, so it could happen sooner rather than later.
Levy generally starts with a comedically high figure when selling and a comedically low figure when buying. It’s all just pantomime but a few mugs have got sucked in over the years.
I agree, although I don’t think any serious party would consider any initial ‘asking price’ from Levy anything other than his typical negotiation tactic…
I reckon by mid Feb we’ll be so far off the pace that Levy will make a change…I doubt he’d wait until the summer… I think Poch coming back next summer is looking good…he’ll likely be fired by PSG for not winning the CL, and should that happen Levy could be very tempted…
There might be some truth in this as Levy reportedly valued the club at a mind boggling £3.5 billion last week. I cannot believe that any sane person would pay anything like that as there is a billion of debt as well. If I was a savvy investor, that would make me laugh. There are for more PL clubs for sale than most fans realise and I have that on very good authority.
Everybody associated with Levy gets fu**ed up the arse. The managers, the coaches, the scouting and the recruitment staff and especially the fans. Twenty two years of failure, lies, broken promises from a malevolent dwarf who is bordering on Aspergers and who thinks he knows more than real and proven professionals about football matters. He is bordering on complete megalomania and there are still people out there amongst the MM and the fan base who give credibility to this lisping failure of a human being. If you enjoy being rinsed incessantly by by a deceitful, lying, manipulative piece of sh*t, then by all means renew your STs , attend games, buy their overpriced tat and drink and eat their overpriced booze and food, then carry on in your fool’s paradise. As I am now 67 years old and have been a fan since 1962, I say a plague on the house of Enic and Daniel Levy. They have turned a once great club into a laughing stock whilst continuing to peddle their lies.
A bit of noise swilling around about the club being available for sale. I would say that the mystery around the absence of a stadium sponsor is probably the biggest elephant in the room, that evades discussion.
Could it be that they are keeping the stadium free of branding so that if a big company with a buy it they stick their name on it? I believe ENIC will continue to develop the surrounding area however, via other various companies etc.
They’re not set up to run a football club at the top level, I don’t think they’re even stupid enough to think that they can keep this current car crash on the road for much longer.
They probably want to get back to developing property and adding value to their assets, using the profit from selling the club on with the stadium finished. Whatever figure they want, will obviously need to firstly cover the debt from building it. Talk of 350 billion, I reckon they take 2.5bn and get out…
It will only happen if Poch gets the sack and that seems unlikely, otherwise why would he swap the likes of Neymar and Messi for Winks and Dier, or the CL for the conference pear league? The man would have to be demented to want to come back and work for little looney tunes again.
As outlandish as this might sound to some, my theory is that Levy is waiting on Poch getting similarly ejected from PSG. This is a caretaker position…
As for Nuno. I think he knew from the start his days at Spurs would always be numbered. We were the only club to offer him a job. We were the only club who couldn’t sign a manager of any real pedigree because they ignore the call when the name Levy pops up on their screen.
So here we are. Two parties that were never destined to meet. Put together by a badly run dating agency. You asked for a 6ft blonde but get a 3ft bald dwarf.
Can’t resist…..
first !