Article by @ginolasleftfootFollow e-Spurs on Twitter!
The TV moguls must absolutely love Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
We bring great players to these shores, allow them to be-dazzle their audience and then watch as Levy ships them on for a princely sum. We provide the most outrageous transfers rumours come post/pre/mid season. One in 500 hundred come off.
Then you’ve got the results. If we’re not being trounced by Oil Incorporate, then Liverpool rock up and skirmish us, and then there was West Ham…..and all of that was just this season. Remember when Redknapp was coach, that thing in Milan really did happen.
Then, best of all we give you a plethora of coaching oddities. From Francis to Santini then back to Ossie’s short-lived fantasy football, on to the final curve of Redknapp’s more than respectable tenure.
Then things got really weird. Levy swung the pendulum as far away as possible from any search engine criteria that might match that of Redknapp’s. Andre Villas Boas could quiet possibly be the most confusing coach in modern times. To listen to the man, you’d be forgiven for assuming that the spectacle being served up infront of you would be something of a veritable feast. You’d be wrong. Darn wrong.
Tactically and personally, AVB jarred with everything Spurs. This writer for one wanted him to succeed but with each performance only saw further breakdowns in all aspects of what the coach was supposed to implement. It was probably the most unimaginative period of Tottenham’s history in the Premier League.
Oh, and we spent loads. Yes, Bale left but with each signing, you could feel the other clubs nudging each other, sniggering, peering over the edge to see if we are still clinging on. And as our grip weakened, fingernails clawing on, a pressed boot clamps firmly on and forces our grip into the abyss. We practically armed anyone with an axe to grind with bumper packs of TNT and pointing them in our direction.
Levy once again wielded his pen with furious venom and cast Villas Boas out. And then HBO stepped in to request from Levy exactly who he employs to write the ever-brilliant Tottenham Chronicles? (Unbeknownst to Levy, T.C is a revelation in the U.S, blending Sienfeld-esque comedy with Sport, and has run for six seasons).
Up steps Tim. To take a moment’s pause. Tim’s record is fair. Better than fair and his treatment by the upper echelons of the Spurs Death Star has been indicative of the laughable and at times wholly unsavoury conduct that this club perpetually find itself in.
If Sherwood’s conduct has been strained in the past 3 months then it has been against a backdrop of vociferous clamouring throughout the coaching world that the Spurs job would be up for grabs this summer. I wrote earlier in the season that Sherwood had been handed a poisoned chalice Levy something akin to the scene in The Princess Bride where the Dread Pirate Roberts duels the Sicilian in a battle of wits to the death. The Sicilian dies, both cups were poisoned and Roberts had been building immunity towards the poison for many years.
Sherwood was doomed either way and if Levy is serious about establishing a club to be regarded with the elite competitors in Europe then naturally, a coach with a greater knowledge base and stronger coaching resume must be at the helm. The main reason Sherwood is unsuitable long term for the role, is that within the British domestic game, we do not educate our coaches with regards the to the development of tactical and strategic play.
An ex British player, who has never worked abroad, doesn’t speak another language, has never played abroad and has not chosen to vocationally gain experience either in Europe or further afield; cannot be expected to deliver success in today’s global game. This is not an indictment of Sherwood’s shortcomings as a coach, more an overview of the British coaching culture and worse still a reflection of the serious levels of mismanagement within Tottenham.
If Levy had no intention of keeping Sherwood for his paltry 18-month tenure then why offer him a contract? Why not publically back the coach, even if it is in the short term? Dissent from players is something that is derived from a weakened position of power as players and their agents have openly discussed the fragility of Sherwood’s position.
Perception is now a paramount tool needed to be correctly wielded in order for clubs to be seen as attractive options for players looking to move there and Spurs will need to look at how they have conducted themselves and commit serious change.
Sherwood may have pushed the envelope of madness too far as he allowed an apparently overtly and constantly critical fan to take his place in the Spurs dugout on the weekend, and one wonders if chairmen have made notes of his antics which may invoke certain obstacles that previously wouldn’t have existed when the time comes for Sherwood to throw his name into the hat for other jobs.
In the end, I quite liked the cut of his jib and one feels his baptism of fire at White Hart Lane may stand him in good stead for a coaching career that he is intent on pursuing. As for Spurs….tune in next week for another edition of The Tottenham Chronicles.
@ginolasleftfoot.
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Absolute biased rubbish. Completely slate AVB and go onto praise Sherwood. Tottenhams squad was worth a hell of a lot more after AVB left than when he took over, he took us to a record points haul in the league and also into had a superb record in Europe. Sherwoods record of 48% wins is much worse than VBs and his loss % is also much worse. His football, although attacking in some way, is absolutely piss poor to watch, his squads in big games are depressing, and mst of all te squad is worth considerably less than when he took over. We don't even know how good a lot of the summer signings are because hes frozen out so many players to suit his crap system.
ReplyDeleteI cant wait for Sherwood to be gone so I no longer have to read moronic biased spoonfed nonsense like this
I think you might need to read my others pieces before you cast me as a biased Sherwood fan.In reference to AVB Im sure my piece states ' this writer for one wanted him to succeed.' Also, Sherwood win% is 50, AVBs 55%. Not really an enormous difference. I really sturggle to see what has made you so angry about the piece.The 'freezing out crap started with AVB might I add.
DeleteSpurs can't keep great players, such as Bale, Modric, etc, because they can't afford to pay them the wages they and their agents demand. Spurs just haven't the revenue. When will people wake up? They couldn't afford to pay Bale the £200k per week he wanted. Only really rich clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Man Utd, Man City, Chelsea and Bayern Munich can pay that kind of money.
ReplyDeleteAlso they wouldn't be allowed to now by the EUFA fair play restrictions. Clubs are only allowed to set aside a certain percentage of their turnover for players wages.
Spurs fan have to wake up to reality. Spurs will need a bigger stadium if they want to compete on a level playing field with the bigger boys. Football these days is all about money. That's why Man Utd will come good again. They will buy success again rather like Chelsea and Man City have done.
Spurs fans need to wake up and smell the coffee.
So where did the money come from for Atletico Madrid, it is not impossible with the right team of management to get intio the CL. Yes it has become very difficult but not impossible, then we might be able to hang on to some of the ''better'' players, at least for longer.
ReplyDeleteAaah any article that references The Princess Bride simply cannot be that bad - it's one of those guilty pleasure films - "My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die!" and Billy Crystal too!
ReplyDeleteNow to football. I am glad this season is over. I am glad we are in the EL (what chance of recruiting a good Manager without it?). I am glad Tim has gone. I am glad it's been done quickly.
To continue the film references, Spurs and football? To quote Bob DeNiro from the Deer Hunter "it is what it is" and until we get a new stadium it will remain thus, though a new inspirational Coach may bring us the Spurs football we all love and that in itself would be a step forward. Perhaps then we'll all enjoy the season no matter what the end result?