Tottenham have been a club in disarray for decades and a look at the dusty trophy cabinet proves that to be a fact and not hyperbole.
ENIC have not been universally welcomed for the last couple of decades but even before Daniel Levy and Joe Lewis, the club was hardly run as a shining example of competence.
For years I have been asking where are the supporters trust.
Where were they when George Graham was hired, where were they when Martin Jol was sacked at half time, when Berbatov, Carrick, Modric, Bale and a whole bunch of other top-quality stars were sold?
Where were they when the club hiked ticket prices to ridiculous levels, where were they when we were finishing mid-table season after season when Arsenal was dominating us?
I recall no protests, no social media campaigns, no boycotts, nothing.
So why so different now, in a season when the club brings back Bale, hires one of the most famous managers in the world and has a stadium that almost every club can only dream about.
It is different because all of a sudden the media will listen to them, not because they are respected but because it is a way for that same media to stir the pot and elevate fan protests against their own clubs.
THST is an embarrassment, they have been useless for decades, they have done nothing while the club was degraded, they have never stood up for the fans but because they can get their names in the spotlight now, they are all over it like a plague.
Their arrogance is stunning in its boldness but I am not too concerned, it will not take long before the media starts to ignore them again and their relevance will be diminished.
Before they start to criticise ENIC and the club they need to look at themselves and do their supposed job properly in the first place. Something they have not done in decades.
Tottenham have a lot of problems, but the solution is not the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters trust.
Too late, deal renewed with TV companies for the next few years
An accurate summary I would say.
It could be tailored to suit. If a club supporter buys what amounts to a ‘season ticket’ through an annual subscription, paid monthly if necessary, for no more than £5.00 per game then that would do for most like me. Highlights on motd, youtube or other platforms are good enough for me regarding other teams games. I think more ‘armchair’ supporters would opt for this rather than going to the pub or round to other peoples gaffs because they have Sky and you have BT etc. The clubs are missing a trick in my opinion.
As for Burnley getting less; tough shit. If they get relegated the same thing happens anyway. If anything the current set up allows clubs like Burnley, Bournemouth and other fodder to soak up piles of cash while much bigger clubs with real history, over longer periods of time, like Sunderland, Derby & Nottingham Forest are left to languish in the lower leagues and excluded from the wealth like Dan Acroyd in Trading Places watching Eddie Murphy with his santa hat on.
This only encourages the Burnleys’ to play a direct brand of football which no neutral supporters want to watch, apart from when their own team is unfortunately playing Burnley. I would guess this is also reflected in the viewing figures for these low quality games. We are all expected to applaud ‘plucky’ Burnley for defying the drop every season when in reality we all know they are shit and their relegation and disappearance back into obscurity is not only predictable but inevitable. Witness Wimbledon in the 90’s and Bolton under big Sam.
Regarding Sky and BT. Tough shit again. They have rinsed us all for 30 years. Let them all bid for the rights to screen each individual club on a two yearly basis. This would give ITV, BBC, and others the chance to compete too on a club by club basis. As long as the price per game is capped at £5.00 to the supporters and only increased with supporter agreement it would be happy days. The dosh would keep rolling in and more people would be able to access their own teams games.
You’ve also got a minefield of companies that own various broadcasting rights that you’d need to get onside. The PL, FA (FA Cup), UEFA and FL (League Cup). Tough to navigate to say the least.
Not sure you’d do much damage to be honest Mikey. Have at it.
Great idea, won’t happen.
Sky, BT and Amazon won’t accept smaller pieces of the pie. Plus it does nothing to help smaller clubs. Burnley will get considerably less per season than Utd, City, Chelsea etc. due to a smaller global fanbase. It would widen the divide of the big 6 and the other 14. Not on an ESL scale but the rich still get richer.
How does it work if (like me) you’d want an option to watch other games, not just your own teams? How is that money distributed? If it’s Leicester vs. Chelsea, do Leicester get that 50% of generated revenue as the home team?
By definition this subscription that all 20 clubs run would make Sky, BT and Amazon null and void. Nobody would pay £250 per year to their own club and then the additional cost to Sky etc. to watch football league, other PL teams and European football.
I don’t use that word. It runs deep with me.
#Metoo
Some joker let me stay up and watch motd when Spurs beat Bristol Rovers 9-0. I was only 8 but this was the 70’s when everyone was drink driving and pissing in your pocket on the terraces. I assumed Spurs must be brilliant.I think the phrase is; act in haste; repent at leisure
I’ve been character building for nigh on 50 years. My character is built.
Only if I’m allowed to pick the team.
I would also suggest that now is the time for supporters of all English top flight clubs to unite and demand a streaming service that allows all supporters, of all clubs, to watch only the games that they wish to watch, involving their own team, home away and in all cup competitions, European included, for about £250 per year. Each individual club should be allowed to keep 50% of the generated revenue from their own supporters subscriptions and the remaining 50% should be split between the TV companies (25%) and the remaining 25% redistributed back through the pyramid to ALL other league clubs.
Just one other thing. The ESL is not going away. I think we all know that. We’re being conditioned to get used to the concept if not the reality just yet. It’s going to happen. It’s not if it’s when.
When it does happen; how many ‘principled’ people on here would be up for AFC Hotspur of Tottenham and a journey through the pyramid? I’m curious to know the numbers……….
That’ll be the Arsenal Supporters Association then???
20% discount in the club shop
They sycophantic media make me sick with their fawning over citeh, I dream of the game being a lot more competitive where clubs have a realistic chance of achieving success, the likes of Leicester being top four and cup finalists shows it can be done, but they are rare nowadays.
No chance
What is the salary?
Stopped Yanited, Chelsea and the Goons being smug though tbf. City’s real supporters deserve the success imo.
Briefly on Man City….talksports own ‘token bird’ asked a question today that was as pointless as it was silly. …on the 15 odd match winning streak, “why do you think City went on that run?”
Hmmmm, well, probably cos they’ve got billions of pounds and can buy any player they want and have done. I’m sick of the fawning over City, of course they’re going to win every match in style, nobody can compete with their finances. They would av won it last season too if it wasn’t fixed for Liverpool’s turn. Why did these rich arabs choose a yo yo club who had been in the 3rd tier? Well since they bought City, Bolton, Blackburn, Blackpool, Bury, Macclesfield and Morcambe have all suffered financial turmoil and awful ownership. More destruction of communitys while the youngsters in those areas will look to the glitz of the elite instead of having a real investment to the local teams. It’s no coincidence that North West clubs have been so damaged. City’s dominance is nothing to celebrate. It’s inevitable.
You have nailed it, they have always been lackeys prepared to put up with anything
I have no plans to get involved
https://youtu.be/RNsMUKtwwKk
Whilst we await to hear the details of the Advisory Board, i’m keen to know, would anyone who comments on this fine blog or H himself have any interest in being a part of the board?
During his time with the ‘Trust’ Levy was allowed to remove discount for club merchandise from season ticket holders, cup matches from season tickets and they also had very little to say about ENIC building a season ticket waiting list, with ten’s of thousands on it, and subsequently using the waiting list as a stick to beat season ticket holders with as they increased ticket prices, season on season, but failed to increase the WHL capacity as promised upon arrival. They said nothing about the shameful sacking of Martin Jol or the appointment of David Pleat, as a caretaker manager, for nine months. Then there is Stubhub. How any Spurs supporter would give any credibility to this group is beyond me. They are more Arthur Daley than Arthur Scargill.
Whilst sky allow Gary “Vic spanner” neville his sounding board, the media will keep interest but the thst will always be the least of interest esp with levy pulling the abramovich line.
You should embrace the decline into mediocrity. It is character building. The (gallows) humour improves and it makes the climb back up more rewarding. We are Spurs. We make it hard for ourselves. We support the team when they don’t deserve it. We are not Woolwich.
It’s all about the wage bill with ENIC. They will be glad to be shot of Jose, Kane,Son,Dele,Toby and Hugo’s wages. It is that simple. Any funds raised by these departures will be gambled on more unproven punts in the transfer market. Reduction of the wage bill is the aim of the chaos that Levy has created. He knew this wave would come and he is back on the surf board. Skin thicker than a rhino. ENIC’s mission statement was to increase the WHL capacity to 44,000 and regularly qualify for the Champions League. ENIC set a 5 year deadline for this ‘plan’. It took them 15 years and that is the only real beef we can have. I got off the bus after the 07/08 season when Jol was sacked. Levy had sacked the manager 3 times, mid season, in a 6 year period by then. I saw my ‘investment’ in a season ticket as simple exploitation of loyalty. I gave it up. I was sick of being mugged off by Sugar and now another joker. Daniel Levy has not fooled anyone. It is us that have indulged in self delusion. ENIC never spoke of trophies. Only of being ‘competitive’. There have been ups and downs but no trophies. I don’t buy much of the criticism. It’s just bed wetting in my opinion. Spurs used to pursue the domestic cups, in the 70’s and 80’s, because they brought extra revenue through the extra cup ties, TV money and European qualification. Levy pursued the top 4 for the same reasons. Top 4 is the 21st century Cup Final win. Get over it. Look at Villa, Everton & Newcastle. These clubs are similar to Spurs in every way apart from one thing. Spurs now have the best infrastructure in the land. Levy’s mistake was letting Paul Mitchell go. It’s that simple. The recent recruitment has been rubbish.
I find the easiest way to deal with it is to follow another team with equal enthusiasm, allows me to be happy half the time.
Hahaha champagne socialists…
Wynne is a fascinating creature.
I’ve said it for years; Tottenham Hotspur supporters need an Independent Supporters Association. An organisation that is detached from the club completely.
As I have quoted before I cannot guarantee this person is still on the Trust but a few years ago they were and htey quoted this “it is down to senior fans…………”
I thought they were referring to me as I am an old **** but no to themselves.
Having said all that; I do secretly admire Levy for charging any protesters wishing to attend the Villa game £60. That is genius.
From Day 1 ENIC got any potential dissenting voices on board with their agenda. What does Daniel Wynne do now? He was right in the thick of it when the Trust was formed. Harder to call the chairman a cheapskate when he’s feathering your nest too. Martin Cloake was very critical of Sugar’s regime through the fanzines. He now gets to do books endorsed by the club. The Trust is not full of socialists. It’s full of brown nosers.
It works a treat!
Funny that isn’t it??
This is deliberate. They are narcs.
No; that’s me.
I’m looking more towards the party who own it now….🤔
I know the Trust of old, and we are dealing with self-important socialists.
I’ll be honest here and say that my beef is not with THST but with Levy and enic. The THST are just an unnecessary distraction from the real problem which is our owners. THST haven’t been responsible for running this club into the ground. No that’ll be the whims of our owners doing everything possible to increase the value of their investment whilst neglecting the squad on an industrial scale whilst doing so.
If the THST disappear overnight then nothing will change, on the other hand if Levy and enic disappear overnight everything will change. I think like many fans the Trust gave our rip-off merchant owners the benefit of the doubt over the years, whether they actually believed the spin from diddy Danny about failed transfer targets I don’t know, but I think it was the SL being planned whilst at the same time being denied by Levy and Co. that did it. Even the sloth like THST couldn’t not act about that particular shafting of the fans! We all now know that Levy speak with forked tongue and he’s played the THST for the mugs that they are for all these months. Ditto the Levy apologists who are just as bad and must take some responsibility for the current state of affairs due to their misguided support for these con men.
And the Joey’s on youtube will no doubt confide all their protest plans to the ‘Trust’. Levy is a slippery customer. The Supporters Trust are ENIC with a beard, Sunglasses and a detectives overcoat on.
It’s just dawned in my silly slow head what this is. Levys brave new world is in tatters. There’s nowhere to hide anymore. It’s a parody of a parody of a parody. There is a groundswell of dissent and vitriol brewing…..then suddenly, out of the Super League’ media psy op, the THST jump to the ENIC out protest hype. From nowhere….boom! It’s ENIC bad, change needed blah blah……
This is, I suspect, is Levy driven, controlled opposition. Every good overlord knows you need to control the opposition to manage any problems. They’ve attempted to nip in the bud the coming surge of anger and protest by managing it themselves via the trust. Textbook really. That’s why the you tube faces were at the forefront of the protests with faux cross faces, banners in hand. That’s why the sudden 180….. ENIC sponsered damage control. Absolute classic.
The Trust have managed actually to make the Tottenham board and Levy look like the injured party.
Somehow this Trust have turned the table on themselves and they look like the uncaring behemoth who don’t listen, who refuse to engage in dialogue and act with any decorum. Brilliant work.
Are they being encouraged by a third party interest in Spurs I wonder? Someone looking to drive the asking price for the club down? Are Levy and uncle Joe becoming victims of an opportunistic takeover bid? Many of the Youtube crowd who previously looked the other way whenever a transfer target was ‘missed’ or season tickets were hiked are now fully signed up to the protest movement.
I never thought the day would come but I have to agree 100% with everything stated here. You forgot to mention Stubhub though.
Exactly. This is a joke, and I suspect there’s something else behind it. More divisive tactics to seperate the club and community. These plums have watched bulldozers and cranes whilst cooing about “big time competing” etc destroy the club and it’s essence and history. There’s something rotten in Denmark and a wider agenda is in play. Who are these “fans”? They don’t represent me or anyone else. This all stinks.
Get off the fence, Bruce, and tell us what you really think…