Don't You Wish Your Gaffer Was....?

Article by Chris Mecoy

Hello again Spurs fans, and a Merry Christmas to you all.

Well......it's been a stressful holiday period for all associated with our beloved Tottenham Hotspur as a decent run was brought to an abrupt end by a humiliating home defeat against Liverpool (a team that most us believe are our equal, at least), as was the up-and-down tenure of Andre Villas-Boas.

Opinion was divided amongst Spurs fans regarding AVB's management, tactics, team selection, style of play, and, ultimately, his dismissal. I, personally, was one of the people who was happy with Villas-Boas as manager, but I appreciate there were a lot of you who really wanted him gone. To be honest, our opinions are neither here nor there now, as his time at the Lane is over. I would just like to end this part of the article by saying thank you for your efforts, AVB, and I, amongst many others, I'm sure, wish you all the best in the future.

Now.....onwards and upwards. Who should take over the reigns at White Hart Lane?

There has already been a huge list of names linked with the job, but who do we really want? Let's look at some of the candidates, as well as one or two that haven't been mentioned.

Tim Sherwood

Let's start with the basics, shall we? The man who has taken interim control of the first team seems to have been placed on to a fast-track programme to become management material over the last few seasons by Daniel Levy, and does seem to have some tactical acumen between his ears. I believe I'm right in saying that Tim played a big part in the success of our reserve team over the last couple of years, and in last season's Under-21's Developmental League as well as the European NextGen Series, the team was a joy to behold. If I'm honest, I don't think Tim Sherwood is the name we require to take us to the next level, but don't be surprised if he's the man that our Chairman chooses.

Glenn Hoddle

After Bill Nicholson, Glenn Hoddle may lay claim to being the second greatest legend in the history of Tottenham Hotspur. His football skills rank him as arguably the finest player ever to wear the famous white of Spurs, and even his ill-fated two and a half years in charge from 2001 has done little to lessen the legacy this man has. Known for his demand for attractive football, Hoddle would certainly appeal to Spurs fans' own demand for the aforementioned style we expect from our team. However, he hasn't managed anywhere since 2006 and during his coaching career, his man-management skills have been called into question on more than one occasion, perhaps most notably by the current man in charge, Mr. Sherwood. Having said that, it would be interesting to see how Hoddle could manage with a team filled with excellent players.

Frank de Boer

In recent years, the Dutch contingent at Spurs has grown, with men such as Martin Jol and Rafael Van Der Vaart, and we also have a decent amount of players within our current squad who have links to Holland's top division, the Eredivisie. Players such as Gomes, Chadli, and Dembele, as well, of course, as Jan Vertonghen and Christian Erikson, two men who've actually worked under De Boer recently. This would mean that he would be able to integrate within the squad quickly, and would certainly have the players behind him. He is another man who prefers to play an attacking style of football (somewhat unusually for a legendary defender). He was the assistant manager of the Dutch National Team who finished as the runners up at the 2010 World Cup and has brought the League Championship back to Ajax's Amsterdam Arena every year he has been in charge. The man oozes class and his track record speaks for itself. A very viable option, but it remains to be seen whether he would leave Ajax for Spurs, as he did turn the Liverpool job down in the past.

Michael Laudrup

I'll be honest, Spurs fans, this one I would like. Michael Laudrup was one of my heroes growing up, and I tried to base my own fledgling career on his style of play. A very similar player to Glenn Hoddle, he seems to insist on getting his teams to play the style of football he was accustomed to during his playing days. Who reading this can honestly say that they are bored watching Swansea? Spurs are the only side in the League who have an average possession rate that matches the Swans so it probably wouldn't take too much tweaking to get us playing the way he wants, and with some of the Swansea players not performing as well as expected this season, a change of scenery may be something that Laudrup would welcome. Of all the currently employed managers whose name has been thrown into the mix, this one may be the easiest to pull off. Which would explain why he is currently 6/1 joint second favourite at the moment to take over.

Fabio Capello

No. I fear that with Baldini's influence, Capello just might be our next manager, but NO.

Murat Yakin

The current Basel manager, Yakin enjoyed a somewhat successful playing career across Europe and picked up 49 caps for Switzerland. Has been in charge of the current Swiss champions for the last 14 months and, let's face it, he's turned them into a pretty damned impressive team. Their two wins against the Happy Special One and his boys this season highlights that, and the way they run us off the park in both legs in last years Europa League Quarter Finals left me delighted that we managed two 2-2 draws. The only stigma attached to having this man in charge is the fact of what happened the last time we hired a Swiss manager (If you're too young to remember Christian Gross at the helm, then lucky you!). In all honesty, though, Murat Yakin has all the makings of becoming one Hell of a good manager and you never know, he may just bring Mohamed Salah with him.

The Rest

Now, there have been a few other names mentioned which, for me, are not really viable options one way or another. Jurgen Klinsmann has just signed a huge long-term deal to continue as the U.S. Manager. Pochettino, Klopp, Benitez and Mancini seem very happy with their current roles and I believe names such as Di Matteo, Hiddink and the return of Harry Redknapp seem far-fetched at best.

Now, I'll tell you a little story about me. I have been recovering from a vicious wisdom tooth extraction and have spent the last week or two watching season review DVD's of the last 10 years, so if you'll indulge me slightly, I'd like to add one more name to the list, a man who I would LOVE to see in the hot-seat at White Hart Lane.........

Martin Jol

This man is a legend. Simple fact. The man who more than anyone in the 15-20 years before him brought the demanded sexy football back into our club. Taking over after the pleasing, albeit confusing resignation of Jacques Santini, Martin Jol turned us from our perennial-underchieving mid table status to a team that is fighting to reach the top 4 on a regular basis. He was acrimoniously dumped from his role as manager during a match (against Michael Laudrup's Getafe, if memory serves) on a night that will live on in infamy in the hearts and minds of all Spurs fans. Since leaving Spurs, he moved on to reasonable success at Hamburg and Ajax,but, somewhat surprisingly, left the legendary Dutch side to join Fulham, where they didn't realise what they had. Like Laudrup, he has the Holland link, and would undoubtedly bring the pretty play back with him. Now, I don't really think for one second that he'll be brought back to the Lane, but as I said, this one was for me only. Besides, we owe him one.

Conclusion

Well there you have it. A bunch of people have been discussed there, and given the choice to make a sensible answer, I'd go for a toss-up between Laudrup, De Boer and Hoddle, but whoever it is, I'm sure we'll all be right behind them every step of the way. As AVB said, "We Is Us", and that is all that matters right now.

Let me know who you would choose as our new gaffer with your comments below; follow us on Twitter, and please request membership to our Facebook page 'e-spurs forever'. I look forward to hearing what you have to say

COME ON YOU SPURS!!

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