There were mixed reactions to the appointment of AVB at the start of the season. Success at Porto had enhanced his reputation as one of the most promising young managers in Europe but a brief spell at Chelsea cast doubts over his ability to manage at the very top level. The added pressure of replacing a media friendly Harry Redknapp that had led Spurs to a fourth place finish ensured that opinion was split on whether the former Chelsea boss was the man to lead the latest Tottenham revolution.
Tottenham would start the season having lost the significant creative influence of both Luka Modric and Rafael Van Der Vart as well as defensive stalwart and club legend Ledley King. A shaky opening few games would see the pressure mount with many questioning the logic of sacking the most successful manager in Tottenham’s recent history.
Whilst the media and supporters alike were questioning his methods and tactics, AVB maintained a dignified silence. Unsubstantiated media reports suggested that there were rifts within the camp, but official announcements and player testimonials contradicted these reports. It wasn’t hard to envision a media conspiracy to undermine a man who had won few supporters amongst the tabloid press during his short lived Chelsea tenure. However, he had the support of his players and the spirit within the camp seemed to be positive.
It wasn’t long before AVB’s perseverance paid off. Results started to improve and he began to win over the majority of his doubters. Certainly the supporters were beginning to warm to him. By the New Year it was difficult to associate AVB with the character previously portrayed as a stubborn, arrogant dictator that had upset so many within the Chelsea hierarchy. Had he transformed himself so much or was it becoming evident that the problems at Chelsea stemmed more from the inflated egos within the camp as oppose to the football philosophies of AVB?
Although Tottenham were destined to fall short yet again come the end of the season, there were some great moments along the way; victory at Old Trafford, Gareth Bale’s sensational form and a record points tally to name a few. Despite the ultimate disappointment at the end, there is plenty to look forward to. We are building an exciting squad with a great balance of youth and experience. Lloris, Dembele and Vetonghen have integrated seamlessly. Our manager has a season’s experience behind him and will hopefully get the support from the board to add suitable reinforcements.
In summary I believe that AVB is absolutely the right man to take us forward. I am a Harry fan and I was gutted when he got sacked, but with hindsight I now see that this was the right decision. AVB is a progressive manager and he is perfectly suited to the ambitious vision of Tottenham Hotspur. One of AVB’s greatest assets is his ability to identify flaws and effectively address them. This is evident early in the season when we were conceding late goals. This was quickly addressed and we finished the season strongly often profiting from late goals ourselves. He gets on with his job without complaining ensuring that there is a positive mentality employed at all times. Not once did I hear him complain about injuries despite significant ones throughout the whole season.
History has taught us never to get too excited as Tottenham supporters. Inevitably any optimism will come back to smack us in the face if we get too far ahead of ourselves. But I think we afford to be quietly confident going into this season. Hanging onto Gareth Bale and signing the right type of player at the right time is obviously key, but with a little bit of luck and everyone pulling in the same direction, this could be the start of a fabulous new era for Tottenham. I’m definitely an AVBeliever!
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I like AVB but I think that the review written here was mote of a tribute then an assessment of his first years performance. The first issue was his past and trying to deflect blame as he did not act the way described in the press so it must have been the Chelski players. Truthful I think it was both, to his credit AVB admitted fault over the year and acknowledged he learned and grew from it. As well why the totals were great on points and some player performance the end of the year was a standard fall apart and when the team had the chance to close instead left the door open for Arsenal and AVB needs to take some blame for that.
ReplyDeleteEnd of term report to me on AVB is a B on the season from what should have been an A but the losses and draws near end of the campaign were difficult. However his ability to learn and grow from his mistakes (see Chelsea) should increase that grade next year.
Totally agree with previous post - fourth place was there for the taking, but we managed to blow it, and AVB has to take his share of responsibility. He stupidly wasted our limited resources on the losers (sorry, Europa) league, and losses to the likes of Wigan and Fulham obviously offset some good results against the top teams, because three points are three points, whoever the opponent. Maybe next season will be an improvement, but I expect all the usual CL contenders to be at least as strong, and we've got to strengthen too, even to be in the mix for fourth. AVB's got to prove he's really a top manager, and not just Mourinho-lite, and I remain to be convinced.
ReplyDeleteI'll happily admit to being an AVB fan but I agree that he has made mistakes. But then again, a measure of success is how you react and respond to mistakes. I don't think it's fair to blame him for our failure to reach the top 4 either. Injuries and a miraculous run of form from Arsenal saw to that! You can blame his insistence on playing full strength teams in the Europa, but personally, I'll always value any type of trophy to 4th place.
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