Are Tottenham finally back on the road to success?

Article by John Hall

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Since Martin Jol’s appointment in 2004 Tottenham have climbed the football ladder both domestically and continentally. Martin Jol’s reign as Spurs manager was when Spurs really asserted themselves in the Premier League by gaining consecutive 5th place finishes and coming extremely close to taking that much coveted 4thplace from Arsenal. This allowed Tottenham to sign players that helped them continue this success, the likes of Dimitar Berbatov, Edgar Davids and Jermain Jenaswere instantly successful at Tottenham and of course now we know that Luka Modric and Gareth Bale, who both didn’t enjoy the best starts at Spurs, go on to be 2 of the greatest players in our history and are now considered 2 of the best players in the world. Spurs also excelled in the Uefa cup, beating some great teams before most notably being knocked out on penalties but PSV and then Sevilla the following year. This was the start of the reemergence of Tottenham Hotspur.

Martin Jol became a victim of his own success because in October 2007 he was sacked. Martin had set a certain standard at Tottenham and in the first 3 months of the 07/08 season he had not met those standards and was mercilessly sacked after a loss to Getafe In the Uefa cup.

Ironically his successor was the man that knocked Tottenham out of the Uefa cup in the previous season. Juande Ramos of Sevilla, took over as Tottenhammanager later that month. Although there was a lot of disappointment over the sacking of Martin Jol, there was mass optimism that it would be Ramos to take us to the next level and achieve rubbing shoulders with the worlds best in the Champions League.

Ramos got a few decent results as Tottenham manager but the feeling was the performances were lackluster and not what we were used to under predecessor Martin Jol. But even still we found ourselves in the Carling cup final vs. Chelsea.

Being a tight affair and finishing 1-1 the game went to Extra time. I remember Woodgate’s goal like it was yesterday, the crown went absolutely wild, pure ecstasy in the Spurs end. But for the next 26 minutes of extra time it was squeaky bum time, Chelsea kept coming but we held strong and won the Carling Cup. Seeing the King lift that trophy is something I will never forget. Long Live The King 26.

The feeling wasn’t that we had won a cup but the fact we had beaten Arsenal and Chelsea in the process meant we were improving and coming ever closer to achieving Champions League football.

A summer full of optimism for Spurs fans, 08/09 would be our year. But that quickly changed. 2 points from 8 games and the media and rivals were now mocking Spurs by saying Championship rather than Champions league.

Poor results on the field and unrest off it with complaints over fitness training and dietary requirements meant Ramos was sacked. The ship that was headed for success seemed it was sinking, just like that. Players and fans weren’t happy and the football Martin Jol had produced seemed a distant memory.

Tottenham needed to settle the ship and get the players back onside so what better man for the job than Harry Redknapp. Best known for keeping his teams away from the bottom 3, his personality and relations with players. Spurs fans knew he was just there to get us back on track. Harry did just that and managed to salvage an 8thplace finish and another trip to Wembley where we were not so fortunate. But Harry had turned an awful season into one to be proud of and things only got better. The rise of Gareth Bale, Luka Modric and superb performances by Aaron Lennon shot Spurs up the table and in April 2010 playing Arsenal and Chelsea in succession at White Hart Lane, Spurs showed their intent by winning 2-1 against them both and getting right back in the race for the top four. A ‘Top Four Final’ against Manchester City in the penultimate game of the season meant winner takes all. Top four was secured thanks to a Peter Crouch goal. Harry Redknapp was drenched with water live on TV and it was all smiles in the Spurs camp once again.

The following season Spurs league form wasn’t up to standard but the football we were playing in The Champions League made most teams envious. Beating the then Dutch and German champions home and away and then taking apart the champions of Europe Inter Milan at White Hart Lane saw all eyes on Tottenham and how far could they go in this competition. But after the draw for the last 16 the answer was ‘not very far’ as we drew AC Milan. Players like Ibrohimovic were coming to White Hart Lane. This is what we had dreamed of and a 1-0 away win saw us through to the quarterfinals. But drawing Real Madrid was a step to far. For me, watching Spurs play at the Bernabeu was another moment that will never be forgotten.

The 11/12 season was a memory I would like to forget. A great season saw us 3rd in April and 11 points above Arsenal. But as Fabio Capello quit as England manager Harry’s head was turned. Although in the media he denied it, coincidentally our performances dropped. Arsenal overtook us and we finished 4th. With Chelsea beating Bayern Munich in the Champions league it was all for nothing and like that another season among Europe’s elite was snatched from under our nose. A lot of fans felt he abandoned us and threw it away. He was then sacked as Spurs manager.

Previous Chelsea manager Andre Villas Boas who was sacked in March 2012 was to succeed Harry Redknapp. It was a different approach but one that started to echo that of Juande Ramos. The media were not a fan of him, neither were some of his players. Even though AVB’s first season was better than expected, much down to the brilliance of Gareth Bale. An end of season capitulation meant Arsenal again reclaimed a 7 point gap to overtake us for 4th place in late April.

Gareth was sold, 7 players came in and it was evident AVB didn’t get a single player he wanted, leaving most of the new signings on the bench. Fans started to question Daniel Levy more and more as opposed to the manager. But after substantial losses to league rivals, Andre was sacked.

No contingency plan meant Tim Sherwood, an unqualified youth team coach took charge of TottenhamHotspur in December. Good results and goal scoring football restored some pride that season but again problems with players and the media. Time was up for Tim a mere 7 months after it began. More questions have been asked of the board And Mr. Levy knows he has to get it right this time or it will be him being axed and not the manager.

So here we are in the 14/15 season with Mauricio Pochettino as manager and it seemed like same old story. Underperforming players, poor showings at home and not much change to AVB. But as of November 30th 2014 it may have all changed. Everton at home seemed a fixture we would definitely struggle in. But everything Pochettino was hired for all came out in just one game. Youth players started the game with Ryan Mason and Nabil Bentaleb, two academy products controlling the midfield against two experienced players in Barry and Besic. Harry Kane and Soldado leading the line with Eriksen to their left and Lennon to their right. It seemed Tottenham were back with a bang. A faultless performance for 90 minutes saw Tottenham beat Everton 2-1. Out of no where everything Pochettino had worked towards came to light. The pressing, the organisation and the attacking football all shone through at White Hart Lane.

Although the problems off the pitch are probably greater than ever with growing questions over the new stadium, the recruitment process and legal ticket touts, StubHub.

But one question seems to be answered as Paul Mitchell has been appointed head of recruitment. He was in charge at Mauricio’s previous club Southampton and they worked closely together. Finally we could see a manager get the players he wants and a long and successful career could be on the cards for the Argentine.

Another thing winning him plaudits among the Spurs fans is that he’s only missed 2 of the Under 21’s home games this season. He is constantly on the look out to see who is ready and more deserving to gain a place in the senior squad following the heroics of Kane, Bentaleb and Mason.

The optimism seems to be back and maybe we can now recreate the fortunes of Martin Jol and Harry Redknapp. If Levy has learnt from his mistakes and is willing to back Pochettino to the hills, who knows how far we could go. But one thing I do know as a life long Tottenham Hotspur fan is that we will not do it the easy way and it will be a roller-coaster ride to the end.

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